In a Sunday School class, I have been attending, the subject of the media’s constant barrage of bad news was discussed. I kept my mouth shut because I am part of the media in my own small way and, besides, I am more worried on Sundays about trying to get my sorry soul saved than I am about how news is disseminated. But, yes, I will admit that there is a lot of bad news in the world these days. And it is not going away.
What stresses me more than whether the news is good or bad is how it gets reported. Today, the so-called mainstream media are more about entertainment, personalities, pandering and one-upping the competition than about truth and believability.
I bring all of this up to say that I had to shake my head at the poor judgment exhibited by Fox’s Tucker Carlson, who got himself booted off the network for a lot of reasons, including saying one thing on the air and writing and texting something different off the air. It also didn’t help that he had uncomplimentary things to say about his bosses and several colleagues. And he wrote that down, too.
When I began my corporate career many eons ago, I was warned that anything I wrote down could find itself on the front page of the New York Times the next day or in a court of law. And that was back in the days before Al Gore invented the internet for us. Tucker Carlson managed to make the New York Times and a host of other outlets, as well as finding himself about to take a hot seat in a court of law.
Carlson’s lack of credibility was obvious in that his ill-thought-out writings didn’t seem to reflect what he was saying on the air. He was simply pandering to his viewers, telling them what they wanted to hear, not what he evidently meant.
About Donald Trump, who he continually extolled on his show: "We are very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights," he wrote in a text. "I truly can't wait. I hate him passionately."
Later, Carlson wrote of Trump, “He’s a demonic force, a destroyer. But he’s not going to destroy us.” (By the way, in response to Carlson’s sacking, Trump said, “It’s a shame what happened to Tucker Carlson” and that the man was willing to “tell the truth.” Figure that one out.)
As we all know, Fox settled the Dominion Voting Systems defamation lawsuit over claims by Carlson and other on-the-air personalities at Fox of a stolen election for $787.5 million rather than have Dominion’s lawyers tear them apart for saying one thing and writing down another.
Part of Carlson’s poor judgment was apparently fueled by an out-of-control ego. He thought he was bigger than the network by which he was employed. That can happen to those who become legends-in-their-own-minds. A number of years back, a popular television anchor in Atlanta demanded he be allowed to air a story his general manager had vetoed. If not, he would quit. The GM thanked him for his service and let him resign. He was immediately replaced and ratings didn’t drop a whit.
Carlson’s dismissal, as one observer noted, proves that it is the network, not the on-air personalities, that control things. Remember Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly, Megyn Kelly? They all exited Fox for one reason or the other. None of them have close to the influence they once wielded.
And then, let’s not forget former CNN host and anti-Trump screed-meister Don Lemon who informed us one-and-all that former South Carolina Republican governor and later U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley is not qualified to run for president. Why? Too liberal? No. Too conservative? No. It is because, at 51, she is “past her prime.”
According to Lemon, “A woman is considered to be in her prime - in her 20s, 30s and maybe her 40s.” Really? Mr. Lemon had better be glad he never came across my daughter or daughter-in-law. They are clearly not past their prime as the whacks upside his head would have shown.
Fox’s Tucker Carlson was deceitful at best and dishonest at worst. CNN’s Don Lemon was and is a misogynistic ignoramus. Good riddance to them both. As my sweet mama would say, they got too big for their britches, bless their hearts and they got what they deserved – fired. Now, that is truly some good news. Write it down.
You can reach Dick Yarbrough at dick@dickyarbrough.com; at P.O. Box 725373, Atlanta, Georgia 31139 or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dickyarb.
