Hoax (book)

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Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth
Hoax (Brian Stelter).jpg
Author Brian Stelter
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Publisher
  • Atria
  • One Signal Publishers
Publication date
August 25, 2020
Media type
  • Print
  • e-book
  • audiobook
Pages368
ISBN 978-1-9821-4244-5
Followed by Network of Lies: The Epic Saga of Fox News, Donald Trump, and the Battle for American Democracy  

Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth is a nonfiction book by American journalist Brian Stelter, former CNN chief media correspondent. The book was first published on August 25, 2020, through Atria/One Signal Publishers and covers the entanglement of Donald Trump and Fox News.

Contents

Synopsis

Stelter draws on over 250 sources, including 140 current staffers at Fox, to detail Trump's ties to Fox News and its evolution from a news network to what he describes as "state-supported TV". He charts the network's origins from its inception in 1996 under Roger Ailes to today, noting Trump's close relationship with the channel emerging back in 2012 when he was given a regular call-in spot on the show Fox & Friends , giving Trump a platform for the birtherism conspiracy and his eventual presidential run. [1]

Sean Hannity Sean Hannity 2020.jpg
Sean Hannity

The book also details Trump's entwinement with Sean Hannity, with claims they speak almost daily, while building and sharing each other's rhetoric on such topics as rigged elections, immigration issues, the evils of the Democrats and the "fake news media". Stelter provides incidents in which Trump's campaign speeches and tweets use terminology taken from Hannity's program, and notes that Trump has used Hannity's program to test the ratings he might receive from his voter base on certain political stands or theories. [2] Stelter also calls out Trump and the network's downplaying of the COVID-19 pandemic, with Fox News medical contributor Marc Siegel telling Hannity on March 6, 2020, that "at worst, at worst, worst case scenario, it could be the flu." Sean Hannity had at one time discouraged the use of social distancing to combat the spread of COVID-19. [3] Stelter also credits Hannity with both pressuring FBI Director James Comey to investigate Hillary Clinton's laptop emails only days before the election as well as shifting public opinion against Hillary Clinton as a result of Comey's public statement that he was investigating the emails. [4]

Reception

Jane Eisner of Washington Post gave the book a mixed-yet-positive review, mentioning Stelter's partisan point of view that Eisner describes as "Alarmist" and not detached or neutral. Eisner writes "Stelter shows Fox News accelerates and amplifies Trump's denigration of truth, disregard for facts and manipulation of a pliable public." Stelter writes “Hannity and Trump worked hand in hand to tar practically the entire American news media as ‘fake.’ Both men's hypnotic message was that Fox was the only legit network while everyone else was fraudulent,” and Eisner notes that that message is increasingly shaping the workings of the federal government. In particular, Eisner notes the books chronicle of 20 people who had jumped from the network to the White House, including a member of the Cabinet and a deputy chief of staff, concluding that the Fox worldview directly affects American policy. Eisner critiques that the book suffers from a reliance on assertions, blind quotes, and unverified accounts; though overall asserts that "the book (Hoax) exposes a collusion that threatens the pillars of our democracy." [1]

David Bauder of the Associated Press gave a positive review, saying that the most disturbing parts of the book do not rely on insider access but are pulled directly from on-air broadcasts and the resulting Twitter feeds by Trump which very closely match the content of the broadcasts. These examples demonstrate Trump's continuous reliance on the station to directly mold much of his political stance on a variety of issues. [5] Publishers Weekly provided a positive review, commenting that the book provides "a copious and alarming catalogue of the damage the 'Trump-Fox merger' has done to American journalism and politics." [5] Lloyd Green of The Guardian positively reviewed the book, saying that "Brian Stelter of CNN has produced a well-sourced portrait of the symbiotic relationship between president and presenters" of Fox News. He draws attention to Stelter's message that "Fox News has deliberately and repeatedly downplayed the threat posed by Covid-19 for the sake of making Trump look good, even as the pandemic took hold in Arizona, Florida, Georgia and Texas, ie: Trump’s base." [6]

David Enrich of The New York Times Book Review gave a mixed review, stating that Stelter excels when he explains the forces that caused Fox to embrace propaganda, while still stressing that as a CNN host, Stelter is a Fox competitor and far from impartial. Stelter has been the victim of criticism from Hannity and other hosts, but he clearly admits early on in Hoax that he is "shocked and angry" by what is happening at Fox, and that he is overtly emotional about the station's questionable relationship with facts and occasional reliance on conspiracy theories. [5]

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The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American multinational conservative news and political commentary television channel and website based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owned by the Fox Corporation. It is the most-watched cable network in the U.S., and as of 2023 generates approximately 70% of its parent company's pre-tax profit. The channel broadcasts primarily from studios at 1211 Avenue of the Americas in Midtown Manhattan. Fox News provides a service to 86 countries and territories, with international broadcasts featuring Fox Extra segments during advertising breaks.

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Brian Patrick Stelter is an American journalist best known as the former chief media correspondent for CNN and host of the CNN program Reliable Sources, roles he held from 2013 to 2022. Stelter is also a former media reporter for The New York Times and editor of TVNewser.

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A hoax is deliberate false information.

References

  1. 1 2 Eisner, Jane (August 25, 2020). "Charting Fox News's slide from serious news outlet to 'state media'". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  2. ↑ Enrich, David (August 23, 2020). "The Incestuous Relationship Between Donald Trump and Fox News". The New York Times. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  3. ↑ Egan, Elisabeth (September 10, 2020). "In 'Hoax,' Brian Stelter Ventures Where No Author Has Gone Before". The New York Times. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  4. ↑ Stelter, Brian, 2020, Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth, 2020, Atria, One Signal Publishers, New York, London, Toronto, pg. 79
  5. 1 2 3 "Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth". Bookmarks. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Hoax review: Fox News, Donald Trump and truth v owning the libs". The Guardian . August 24, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
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