Conservative favorite Fox News on Tuesday night called Joe Biden a “budding dictator,” prompting many jeers or angry comments, while rivals CNN and MSNBC chose not to broadcast Donald Trump’s speech live after his landmark indictment.
• Also read: Historical appearance: Trump denounces the “diabolical abuse of power”
• Also read: Historic appearance: Donald Trump “will do everything he can to delay the trial”
• Also read: Donald Trump pleads not guilty to 37 counts
This inconsistency in media coverage of the event is yet another illustration of the polarization of the political climate in the United States, a now-old phenomenon from which 24-hour news channels are no exception.
“A budding dictator speaks in the White House after a political rival is arrested,” read a Fox News banner shortly before 9 p.m. Tuesday, as the screen cut in half with a d on one side depicted Joe Biden speaking from the presidency, and Donald Trump In front of his supporters at one of his golf courses in New Jersey.
He had earlier pleaded not guilty to the 37 counts against him in the case of “top secret” White House documents, including classified information on nuclear weapons, which he was accused of not returning to the National Archives after the end of his term. condition.
The headband, which drew a lot of comments on social media, appeared during Fox News Tonight, a new program that replaced former TV star Tucker Carlson’s primetime show.
Since the departure of this figure who has become a staple in the world of conservative media, known for its extreme positions and taste for some conspiracy theories, at the end of April, the hearing of Fox News has declined in this time period. .
For its part, CNN, like MSNBC, decided on Tuesday evening not to broadcast Donald Trump’s speech live after extensive coverage of the indictment, “because, frankly, he says a lot of things that are not true and can be dangerous sometimes,” journalist Jake Tapper explained on the air.
CNN also faced a decrease in its viewership, because it aired a live program with Donald Trump on May 10, a question-and-answer session in front of Republican supporters during which the former president doubled down on provocations and information on the site. The 2020 presidential election is allegedly “rigged”.
The show was poorly received internally and hastened the departure, already contested, of CNN CEO Chris Licht on June 7.
