The news is almost too depressing to watch
An American flag flies at half-staff in remembrance of U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick above the Capitol Building in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
The first several minutes of Monday night’s national evening news broadcasts were simply stunning. There was:
- Talk of the president of the United States being impeached for the second time.
- Chilling video taken by a member of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s staff as insurrectionists pounded on a locked door while staffers huddled under a table.
- Disturbing video inside the crowd as insurrectionists beat police officers, threw fire extinguishers and nearly crushed another officer against a door.
- Arrest photos of the many who stormed the Capitol, destroyed property and called for the hanging of Vice President Mike Pence.
- FBI photos of others who the bureau hopes to arrest.
- Two police officers suspended while they are investigated for their roles in last Wednesday’s events.
- Warnings of more violence in the coming days, not only in Washington but at state capitals across the country.
- The president, isolated in the White House, banned from most social media platforms.
- The president considering pardoning himself for his role in stirring up those who charged the Capitol, but hesitant to do so. Why? Because admitting he might have done something wrong might leave him open to civil suits because of the injuries and deaths on Wednesday.
Then we hear stories of journalists being threatened, their equipment destroyed and fearing for their safety, all while doing their important work.
Stop and really think about all that.
These aren’t reports from some far-away place, but right here in the United States. And it’s on full display on our national evening news.
These are horrific times for our country, but also a moment in which the media has shined. The reporting over the past week has been superb. It has been responsible, thorough and courageous.
But, in the end, what really stands out is what ABC’s “World News Tonight” showed to close its broadcast: somber images of fellow officers honoring U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick during his funeral procession, who died in last week’s insurrection.
What not to talk about on talk radio
Radio host Mark Levin speaks at the White House in October 2019. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
After months of stoking the flames and firing up their conservative listeners about election fraud, many radio hosts are being told to tone down the rhetoric.
Cumulus Media — the talk radio company that has a lineup that includes staunchly conservative hosts such as Ben Shapiro, Mark Levin and Dan Bongino — has told its radio personalities to knock off the chatter about the election being stolen from President Donald Trump.
Inside Music Media was the first to report a memo that was sent out last Wednesday by Brian Philips, executive vice president of Cumulus.
In the memo, Philips said, “We need to help induce national calm NOW. Cumulus and Westwood One will not tolerate any suggestion that the election has not ended. The election has resolved, there are no alternate acceptable ‘paths.’ Please inform your staffs that we have ZERO TOLERANCE for any suggestion otherwise. If you transgress this policy, you can expect to separate from the company immediately. There will be no dog-whistle talk about ‘stolen elections,’ ‘civil wars’ or any other language that infers violent public disobedience is warranted, ever.”
It ended with, “Through all of our communication channels, including social, we will work to urge restoration of PEACE AND ORDER.”
Clearly, it was strongly worded. However, one can’t help but point out that Cumulus hosts have been making baseless claims of election fraud for a while now. This late demand seems embarrassingly too late.
Last week, as The Washington Post’s Paul Farhi notes, Levin went on his radio show and said, “You think the framers of the Constitution … sat there and said, ‘Congress has no choice (but to accept the votes), even if there’s fraud, even if there’s some court order, even if some legislature has violated the Constitution?’”
On Jan. 2, Levin also tweeted that “massive fraud perpetrated against the president absolutely merit(s) a showdown in Congress on January 6th!”
The New York Times’ Tiffany Hsu notes that on his show, Bongino has talked about “irregularities” in the election.
Cumulus, which is based in Atlanta, owns 416 stations in nearly 90 markets across the country.
Big changes at Fox News
Fox News likes to brag about being fair and balanced and it likes to emphasize its news reporting. And yet the network made a big change Monday, placing an emphasis on opinion instead of news.
“The Story with Martha MacCallum,” considered a news program, is being shifted out of the 7 p.m. Eastern time slot to make room for a new opinion show called “Fox News Primetime,” which will be hosted by a rotating group until a permanent host is named at a later date. Brian Kilmeade from “Fox & Friends” will be the first host.
MacCallum’s show will now air at 3 p.m.
At first glace, you might look at this move and think it’s a reaction to Newsmax, the ultraconservative and heavily pro-Trump network that has gained some traction since the election by perpetuating the lie that the election was rigged. The 7 p.m. show on Newsmax hosted by Greg Kelly has been the network’s highest-profile program. However, Fox News hinted back in October that it might tinker with its lineup.
Also, to be clear, Fox News is still crushing Newsmax in the ratings — Fox News gets about 3 million in primetime, while Newsmax doesn’t even get a half million. Nevertheless, the move might help Fox News fend off any possible challenges from Newsmax, especially from Kelly at 7 p.m.
The new opinion show on Fox News will lead into Fox News’ primetime punditry of Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham.
Other changes to Fox News’ lineup: a new two-hour show, “America Reports With John Roberts & Sandra Smith,” will air from 1 to 3 p.m. Eastern. Bill Hemmer moves from his 3 p.m. Eastern solo show to join “America’s Newsroom” with Dana Perino from 9 to 11 a.m. Eastern. Harris Faulkner is moving to 11 a.m. Eastern with a show called “The Faulkner Focus.”
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