The presenter Tucker Carlson, who was fired from the right-wing US broadcaster Fox News, has announced that he will be moving his evening show, which has been successful there, to the online service Twitter. At the same time he shared against other US media.
The moderator Tucker Carlson, who was recently fired from the US news channel Fox News, has announced that he wants to publish a “new version” of his previous show on Twitter. In a three-minute video on the platform, Tucker justified the step by saying that Twitter was the last platform that still allowed freedom of expression.
Tucker hands out against US media
In the video, Carlson also railed against “mainstream” media. He said that what you read in publications like the New York Times is correct in a literal sense, but therefore not true. Facts were deliberately withheld. “You are being manipulated,” concluded Carlson.
At the most basic level, the media you consume is a lie.
To this end, he presented his own work as an alternative draft – without giving details of the planned format. Carlson explained, “We’re going to have a few other things that we’re going to tell you guys about. But for now, we’re just grateful to be here.” Carlson’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, did not initially respond to a request for comment.
Alleged meeting with Musk
According to media reports, Carlson had previously met with Twitter boss Elon Musk to explore a collaboration. The meeting followed an interview Carlson had with the billionaire on Fox News just days before he was fired in late April.
Musk took over Twitter last October for $44 billion – around €40 billion today. According to critics, hate speech and misinformation have surged on the platform since then. Twitter has also repeatedly had to deal with technical problems in recent months and has lost many advertising customers.
No response from Fox News yet
What Tucker’s plans for the split from Fox mean is still unclear. TV stations often ask for assurances that employees with a screen presence will not initially compete with their previous employer if they leave.
News site Axios reported Tuesday that Carlson’s lawyers had written to Fox alleging fraud and breach of contract. The right-wing broadcaster fired its best-known figurehead without explanation on April 24, less than a week after a costly out-of-court settlement with polling machine company Dominion, which had sued Fox News for spreading lies about the 2020 US election. On Carlson’s previous program slot, the station then had to accept a drop in viewership.
Carlson is known as a right-wing agitator
Tucker Carlson is one of the most influential conservative voices in the United States and is known as a right-wing agitator. Critics repeatedly accuse him of racist statements and false or misleading information.
Just a few weeks ago, he caused a sensation with a documentary in which he downplayed the violence by supporters of President Donald Trump, who was voted out of office, during the Capitol storming on January 6, 2021. Carlson, who interviewed Trump repeatedly, had the best ratings of any US news channel evening anchor. Again and again he was said to have political ambitions.