The real reason Fox News spread false election and insurrection claims: analysis

Fox News didn’t promote conservative propaganda that downplayed an insurrection and defamed a voting machine company to the tune of $1.6 billion because of deep-rooted political beliefs, a new analysis contends: They did it for cable company cash.

Media Matters for America News director John Whitehouse published Friday a damning opinion piece on MSNBC detailing the financial motivations he argues spurred Fox News' controversial coverage of the 2020 election and Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

“That gets to the money,” writes Whitehouse. “They use their audience to extract big payouts from the cable companies.”

As proof, Whitehouse points to an anecdote in former Fox News producer Jason Donner’s lawsuit, in which he claims he was fired for challenging the company-line coverage.

According to his complaint, Donner called the Fox News control room from the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and demanded they stop downplaying the violence.

“Tear gas is going off on the second floor in the Ohio clock corridor, rioters are storming the building, reports of shots fired outside the House Chamber,” Donner said. “I don’t want to hear any of this f----- s--- on our air ever again because you’re gonna get us all killed.”

This is a key point for Whitehouse, who says it shows Fox News knew their coverage wasn’t based in fact.

“Fox knew all of these were lies and allowed them anyway, pressuring people in the organization to follow along,” Whitehouse writes.

“Lives were ruined and the country was thrown into upheaval because of the way Fox chose to try to win back their attention.”

The attention Fox News seeks is that of viewers they risked losing to competing conservative outlets such as Newsmax and One America News, Whitehouse contends, because Fox News is funded by monthly fees on cable bills.

“Donner’s lawsuit shows Fox’s entire business model depends on demanding loyalty from its staff to keep the attention of its audience,” Whitehouse concludes.

“The propaganda is the point — regardless of the consequences for the rest of us.”