Panelists on MSNBC have started aggressively pushing back on Fox News in a manner that wasn't before. They are countering a lot of the misinformation in near real time. This one was epic.
Nicolle Wallace's panel let Fox News's have itNicolle Wallace's Deadline: White House panelists appropriately slammed Fox News panel for misleading Americans about the FBI text messages released recently. The pertinent section in the segment starts with Wallace playing a clip of Sean Hannity equating the Mueller investigation to Watergate on steroids.
"Just watch that little piece of tape again," John Heilemann said. "And just think, Useless Idiots."
Wallace pointed out that Hannity is the tip of the spear in the smear campaign. Republican strategist Steve Schmidt decomposed it all.
"There's zero evidence that they acted inappropriately on the basis of those opinions," Schmidt said. "They're Americans. They get to have political opinions. They didn't abuse their badge. They didn't abuse their office. That Fox News panel, the breathtaking dishonesty of it is beyond my ability to articulate. That is no longer a news organization. That is what American state media looks like. That is what White House controlled in the service of the president misinformation looks like. That is indistinct from propaganda in authoritarian countries. It is aimed directly at weakening essential institutions and misinforming the American people. It is appalling."
Heilmann would not be denied.
"And if you want to see just the clarity of it," John Heilemann said. "This is a tiny little thing that guy, one of those guys on Fox News, that guy Tom tom Fitton the other night said, 'Forget about shutting down Mr. Mueller. Do we need to shut down the FBI because it was turned into a KGB type operation by the Obama administration.' That is the level of discourse that's happening from Fox News right down this topic."
" Dishonest, pernicious nonsense," said Schmidt.
At some time in our lifetime, Fox News will be seen for the propaganda machine that it is.
