Topic: Newsmax
Days after his firing by Fox News, Newsmax continued to fret over the fate of Tucker Carlson -- partly for self-serving reasons, as it would dearly love to hire him and bring his audience to its TV channel.
An April 29 article featured podcaster Joe Rogan speculating over whether there is a non-compete clause in Carlson's contract with Fox News, and a May 1 article noted the first temporary replacement in Carlson's old time slot, while also quoting Richard Grenell, a right-wing talking head who is also Newsmax's "VP for International Development," stating that "he has been pitching Carlson to join Newsmax as the ratings show Carlson's viewers are coming to this network." Jeffrey Rodack, meanwhile, seemed a bit annoyed in a May 2 article:
Representatives of Dominion Voting Systems appear to be taking some of the credit for the recent ouster of Tucker Carlson at Fox News.
Carlson was fired after Fox News agreed to a settlement with Dominion for $787.5 million last month.
[...]
"Dominion did not insist on them [Fox News] firing Tucker Carlson as part of the settlement," said Dominion lawyer Stephen Shackelford in an interview posted by Axios Monday.
"But the very fact that that's what resulted out of all of this, and it's traceable from the work that Dominion and Staple Street set in motion ... of course, I know what's in the redacted stuff, and I can't say anything about it. I hope that it all gets un-redacted at some point."
Rodack did note that "Newsmax and several other parties are also being sued by Dominion for its reporting on the 2020 election." But he also had to update his article with a more direct quote from Dominion: "According to Claire Bischoff, a Dominion spokeswoman who contacted Newsmax: 'Your story is flatly incorrect. Dominion has been on the record clearly stating that canceling Carlson's show was not part of the settlement agreement.'"
Eric Mack went into full Tucker defense mode in an article the same day:
She could not have been more blunt about it.
Megyn Kelly is warning Tucker Carlson that Fox News' head of public relations is running "an orchestrated hit job" to smear him.
Kelly, a former Fox host, took to her podcast and said Fox's PR department is working overtime to stop Carlson's future employment and keep his 3.5 million viewers from following him to a new network.
"This is all an orchestrated hit job, in my opinion, and it's not a subtle one," Kelly claimed on Monday night's "The Megyn Kelly Show."
[...]
Carlson has already been hit with a barrage of leaks to tarnish his image, including a report in Fox's sister company newspaper The Wall Street Journal claiming he was abusive and used crude language with his colleagues.
Another leak included a studio video of Carlson badmouthing Fox Nation, blasting the company for making them work "like animals" for an online product that "nobody watches" because the "site sucks."
Kelly said she believes the leak of the video somewhat critical of their own network's offering is clever, since it signals to future employers, including its fiercest rival Newsmax: "So, you see: He's a hassle; he's a difficult employee; he's not a team player; he rips on you from the inside."
Nearly two weeks after Carlson's firing -- May 3-5 -- Newsmax was still cranking out the Tucker-fretting:
- Poll: 36 Percent Would Watch Carlson Online
- Tucker Carlson Predicted Ouster in Recorded Video
- Megyn Kelly Slams 'Destruction Campaign' Against Tucker
- Lara Trump to Newsmax: Efforts to Disparage Tucker Backfiring
- Matthew Whitaker to Newsmax: Tucker Has 'Portable' Following
- Fox News Demands Dominion Probe of Tucker Carlson Leak
- Gov. Ron DeSantis to Newsmax: 'Terrible' That Tucker Carlson Was Fired by Fox
- Trump Jr.: Payback for Criticizing Carlson Firing?
And because Newsmax is not above trying to cash in on this situation, it issued an "urgent letter" from right-winger David Horowitz designed to promote his Newsmax-published book:
Dear American:
I have long admired Tucker Carlson.
I have been on his show many times and he has even endorsed my books.
He is a man of honesty and courage.
We saw that in his new powerful video exposing the lies the left is promulgating upon America.
His firing by Fox News is not a cause but a symptom of the dangerous culture we live in.
If you tell the truth — you are destroyed.
If you lie — you’re rewarded and promoted!
Tucker’s video message sounded like my new book “Final Battle The Next Election Could Be the Last.”
Newsmax previously hyped Donald Trump's name-dropping of the book's title to promote the book.
