In an interview with Jen Psaki on MSNBC’s Inside with Jen Psaki, Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said that some Fox News hosts, including (former) talking head Tucker Carlson, used “incitement of violence” in the lead up to the January 6 attacks.
“We have very real issues with what is permissible on air,” the Democrat said in the interview that aired Sunday. “We saw that with January 6 and we saw that in the lead up to January 6 and how we navigate questions — not just a freedom of speech but also accountability for incitement of violence — this is the line that we have to really explore through law as well.”
“I believe that when it comes to broadcast television, like Fox News, these are subject to federal law, federal regulation in terms of what’s allowed on air and what isn’t,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “When you look at what Tucker Carlson and some of these other folks on Fox do, it is very, very clearly incitement of violence — very clearly incitement of violence. And that is the line that we have to be willing to contend with.”
Journalist Glenn Greenwald, a frequent guest on Tucker Carlson Tonight, criticized the interview. Suggesting that Democrats like Ocasio-Cortez only want to ban “adversary media.”
The subject of banning Carlson was brought up as Rep Ocasio-Cortez and Psaki were discussing the Dominion Voting Systems defamation case against the channel. Preliminary investigation into the case surfaced that Fox News had been knowingly spreading disinformation, and has continued to propagate falsehoods regarding the 2020 US election results and the January 6 riots.
The case was settled for $787.5 million very shortly before it went to trial.
Incitement of Violence
Much of the dismay over the Dominion settlement also involves the lost opportunity to hold the media organization accountable for how it has become the de facto podium for the extreme right’s leanings.
In contrast, social media companies like Twitter and Meta have banned high-profile public figures for “incitement of violence.”
Former US President Donald was banned from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for his posts following the January 6 attacks on the Capitol, and how his content was deemed to post risks in the real world.
RELATED: A Canadian Organization Is Calling On The CRTC To Kick Fox News Out Of Canada
More recently, Kanye West was banned (again) on Twitter after he posted an altered image of the Star of David with a swastika inside.
Fox News All Day, Every Day
In Kansas City, Missouri less than two weeks ago, Andrew Lester, an elderly white man, allegedly shot Ralph Yarl, a 16-year-old Black kid, through his home’s glass door when Yarl went to Lester’s home by mistake while trying to pick up his twin brothers.
In the probable cause document, 84-year-old Lester claimed that he was “scared to death” by the 16-year-old’s size. Lester shot the kid without opening his door much less finding out why he was ringing the bell. According to his family, Yarl is 5 foot 8 inches and 140 pounds.
According to Lester’s estranged grandson Klint Ludwig, his grandfather has “racist tendencies” and he “watched Fox News all day every day.”
“He was fully into that and watched Fox News all day every day blaring in his living room and I think that stuff really kind of reinforces this negative view of minority groups,” Ludwig shared. “He’s just a stock, American Christian male, older, that’s just how they are. The conspiracies and weird random racist things that they say.”
Information for this story was found via Rolling Stone, Vice, CNN, MSNBC, Twitter, and the sources and companies mentioned. The author has no securities or affiliations related to the organizations discussed. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.
