'Gross blurring of the lines': Matt Gaetz's hiring as anchor for right-wing network under fire

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is increasingly devoting time to a side job – working as an anchor for the far-right Newsmax cable channel. And according to The Daily Beast, the arrangement is coming under increased scrutiny from media experts who believe the network is blurring the line between journalism and political advocacy in a way that even Fox News hasn't been willing to do.

According to the Beast, Newsmax has had Gaetz fill in for its weeknight heavy-hitters Greg Kelly and Rob Schmitt on at least five separate nights. Gaetz is not even the only congressman Newsmax has offered this arrangement to – Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX) also guest-anchored the network last Friday. Notably, both of these lawmakers were publicly advocating for Newsmax when it was temporarily removed from the DirecTV lineup, where they falsely claimed it was a move to censor conservative content (it was actually a result of a contract dispute.)

Journalism experts that spoke to the Beast are sounding the alarm about the ethics of this situation.

University of Oregon School of Journalism Professor Emeritus Tim Gleason slammed the arrangement as “a gross blurring of the lines that should be clear between journalists and government” that “no credible news organization” would ever consider.

Santa Clara University media researcher Subbu Vincent, meanwhile, took it a step further: “Newsmax is seeing itself as a battle station in the culture war, attempting to compete with Fox News’ long-standing leadership position in the conservative marketplace. It is a classic unethical means-and-ends situation. Journalism is a process, with its ethics, and news is a product. Newsmax is simply rebuilding ‘news’ as the medium to carry the chants and drumbeats of a tribe flexing its weapons and battle cries."

One Newsmax insider agreed with this assessment, telling the Beast, "There is not even a pretense that Newsmax is a ‘news’ organization and, of course, it violates every journalistic rule."

Notably, back in 2021 Gaetz reportedly told Newsmax he may leave Congress "early" to join the network, only to be denied a permanent position there. This came at a time when Gaetz was under federal investigation in an underage sex trafficking case. That probe ended with an associate of Gaetz, Florida tax collector Joel Greenberg, being sentenced to 11 years in prison, but Gaetz himself was never charged with any offense.