Friend,

Last month, we demanded that Fox News fire Tucker Carlson after he blatantly encouraged violence against Black protesters after George Floyd’s murder. Yet despite Carlson’s history of courting a white-supremacist viewership — and in this case literally inciting violence on air — Fox did nothing.

Now Tucker Carlson has been accused of engaging in sexual misconduct during his time at Fox News.

A lawsuit, which names Carlson and other current and former Fox News employees, describes Fox News as a place that “continues to protect and reward perpetrators of sexual harassment and refuses to take accountability for putting such persons in positions of power from which they can subject women to sexual misconduct, sexual assault and ... rape.”¹

If the network’s dark past with serial sexual harassers Roger Ailes and Bill O’Reilly tells us anything, it’s that it will take tremendous public pressure to force Fox News to do the right thing.

Tell Fox Corporation CEO Lachlan Murdoch: Tucker Carlson must be fired and Fox News must get rid of anyone who is found to be a sexual predator.

In solidarity,

Lucia

1. “Civil Suit Against Former Fox News Anchor Ed Henry Alleges Rape, Sexual Misconduct,” NPR, July 21, 2020

Friend,

If you’ve been on Twitter today, you’ve likely seen that #TuckerCarlsonIsARacist is trending. It’s because Carlson is doing what he does best: spouting racist rhetoric on his talk show Tucker Carlson Tonight.

This time, Carlson went so far as to encourage violence against Black people who are demanding justice for the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, David McAtee, Tony McDade, Breonna Taylor and all who have been murdered by police and white supremacists in the United States.

Carlson’s racism is part of his brand — something that Fox News has been perfectly OK with for far too long. Demand that Fox Corporation CEO Lachlan Murdoch fire Tucker Carlson for his continued racism against communities of color.

On his Monday night show, Carlson claimed that the uprising against police violence “is definitely not about Black lives”. He then told viewers to “remember that when they come for you, and at this rate, they will.”¹ This is just the latest example of how Carlson uses his airtime to stoke violence against Black people — and it echoes Trump’s call for violence against protesters.

This isn’t Carlson’s first offense. In fact, he has a long history of making revolting comments about Black people and other communities of color on his show. He’s claimed that white supremacy is a “hoax” and “actually not a real problem in America” and has said “the problem is there aren’t that many hate crimes occurring in the country.”²

White supremacy is a huge problem in the United States. And it’s a problem that’s killing people. Comments like Tucker Carlson’s are part of what fuels it. Tell Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch to fire Carlson today.

Murdoch recently sent a memo to Fox Corporation staff saying that “it is essential that we … closely listen to the voices of peaceful protest and fundamentally understand that Black Lives Matter.”³ But Carlson has clearly ignored this statement: He continues to use his airtime to race-bait, stoke violence against Black people and echo Trump’s call to arms against protesters.

Tell Murdoch that his “Black Lives Matter” memo will mean nothing as long as white supremacists like Carlson are on the company payroll. He must fire Tucker Carlson today.

Thanks for all you do,

Lucia and the rest of the Free Press team
freepress.net

P.S. Carlson and other white supremacists may have a right to freedom of speech, but they are not guaranteed the privilege of a national platform. Demand that Fox News fire Tucker Carlson today.

1. “Tucker Carlson Says Protests Are ‘Definitely Not About Black Lives,’ Prompting Backlash,” The Washington Post, June 9, 2020

2. “Fox News Is Racist. Period,” Free Press, Nov. 25, 2019

3. “Lachlan Murdoch Is Full of Shit,” Media Matters for America, June 3, 2020