Tucker dethrones Hannity; Capitol rioter blames 'Foxitus' for actions; FCC complaint filed against Sinclair; YouTube's new funding for news; and is NYT interested in buying The Athletic?

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Oliver Darcy here at 8:45pm ET Thursday. In this edition: A US Capitol rioter's defense relies on "Foxmania," a new FCC complaint has been filed against a Sinclair station, YouTube is spending $7 million to fund news programs, and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association has voted for new reforms. Plus, is NYT interested in buying The Athletic? But first...

Tucker dethrones Hannity

Remember Sean Hannity? These days, he finds himself in territory he's quite familiar with: second place. For a while, Hannity's close relationship with Donald Trump — along with the ouster of Bill O'Reilly at Fox — propelled him to the throne of conservative media. And he sat there comfortably during Trump's presidency. But, with Trump gone, Hannity hasn't been able to hold onto the crown.

Recent ratings numbers and other data show that his influence has been surpassed by one of his colleagues: Tucker Carlson. Carlson — by fanning the flames of coronavirus trutherism and leaning into the anti-immigrant, populist movement that ushered Trump into the White House — now outrates Hannity handily and has proven to be far more effective at driving the national conversation.

The rise of Carlson, and the stumble of Hannity, reflect not only the current state of conservative media, but also offers insight into the current state of the Republican Party. "Sean Hannity doesn't have any ideas. He's not a thinker. He's a propagandist," said Matthew Sheffield, the editor of Flux who worked in conservative media for years but has since emerged as a disenchanted opponent of his old industry. "Tucker Carlson at least has some ideas ... he's at least willing to reinterpret the world." The problem, of course, is that Carlson's interpretation of the world is conspiratorial and extremist in nature. Here's my full story...

What the data says

Throughout the Trump presidency, Hannity was unquestionably king of conservative media — and his ratings proved it. Carlson took over the 8:00pm time slot on Fox in the spring of 2017. He ran a consistent second to Hannity in total viewers up until around the November election.

That's when Carlson surpassed Hannity in the ratings. In the fourth quarter of 2020, coinciding with Trump losing the election, Hannity averaged 4.3 million viewers. Carlson averaged 4.7 million. And in the first quarter of 2021, while Fox as a whole saw a drop in ratings as Trump encouraged his disappointed followers to abandon the channel, Hannity averaged 2.9 million viewers compared to Carlson's 3.4 million.

It goes beyond the ratings

Ratings are one thing, but data from Google and IQ Media show that not only is Carlson winning the ratings race, he's driving a lot more of the national conversation. From May 1, 2020, to May 1, 2021, Carlson easily outranked Hannity in Google search trends. A Google search breakdown by region showed that, in every state, more people searched for Carlson's name than Hannity's. Compare that with how the two fared against each other in the first year of Carlson's show. During the period from May 1, 2017, to May 1, 2018, Hannity came out on top, with more searches for information about him than for Carlson in every state but Idaho.

IQ Media data paints a similar picture. Since the November election, Hannity has trended downward in press mentions while Carlson's trajectory has been trending north. According to IQ Media, from November 1, 2020, to April 28, 2021, Carlson was mentioned in the online press 39,481 times. Hannity was mentioned by comparison 29,877 times.

"Trump is no longer there to echo and cheerlead"

So why are we seeing this trend? In losing Trump, the conservative media industry lost the figurehead that it parroted and championed for years, making the job more difficult for propagandists like Hannity who have largely failed to find a way to portray President Biden as a villain.

CNN commentator and Bulwark writer Amanda Carpenter put it to me like this: "Sean Hannity has always been a successful party guy, pushing the party line. But what Tucker is doing is navigating the post-Trump landscape and selling this new nationalistic-style populist view. ... Trump is no longer there to echo and cheerlead. It takes a different level of creative talent and skill to forge a new narrative, whether you agree with it or not."

An asterisk

None of this is to say that Hannity no longer wields influence. He commands a large talk-radio audience and one of the most-watched shows on cable (his Caitlyn Jenner interview, for instance, pushed him to a time-slot ratings win Wednesday). He has also had more staying power than just about anyone in conservative media. But his dominance in the industry — at least for now — has unquestionably slipped.

Fox commentators rebuke Tucker, but...

Brian Stelter writes: "Some of Carlson's colleagues know that his anti-vax rants are reckless, even dangerous. At least three Fox commentators spoke out on Twitter right after his Wednesday night monologue hinting at a conspiracy to cover up deaths from the vaccines. But they were only heard on Twitter -- they were not given the prime time platform that Carlson enjoys for his nonsense parade. I asked Fox if anyone would be fact-checking or rebutting Carlson on air, and the network declined to comment, which was another way of saying 'no.' On Thursday, Carlson doubled down and accused his critics of 'censorship.' At the risk of stating the obvious, fact-checking is not censorship. And if Carlson actually wants answers to the questions he claims to be asking, he can book Fox's medical experts for answers. Why doesn't he do that?"

FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE

-- Dr. Sanjay Gupta blasted Tucker Carlson over his latest coronavirus vaccine rhetoric, describing it as "dangerous..." (CNN)

-- Aaron Blake called it Carlson's "sloppiest, most dangerous" segment on vaccines yet... (WaPo)

-- "What more can be said?" asks Matthew Gertz of the progressive Media Matters. "Tucker Carlson's COVID dishonesty endangers the lives of his viewers. It's been happening for a year, and the Murdochs have supported and rewarded him every step of the way. He's the face of Fox News because that's what they want..." (Twitter)

Capitol rioter blames "Foxitus" for actions

CNN's Hannah Rabinowitz and Marshall Cohen write: "A lawyer for one of the Capitol rioters argued in court Thursday that his client developed 'Foxitus' and 'Foxmania' in the months leading up to January 6. The lawyer said his client believed the lies about the 2020 election that were 'fed to him' by Fox News and Trump. That's where things took unexpected turn in the hearing..."

>> Rabinowitz and Cohen continue: "Another Capitol riot defendant, Landon Copeland, who was dialed into the call because his hearing was coming up later, interrupted the proceedings after the 'Foxmania' comment. Apparently upset by what he heard, he shouted, 'I object.' Later, Copeland went on an expletive-laced rant against the court and was eventually put on mute. It is worth noting that many defendants have blamed Trump for their actions at the Capitol, with little legal success..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO

-- This Philip Bump headline about Ron DeSantis barring media for the signing of a voting law bill nails it: "DeSantis enacts voting restrictions touted by Fox News with only Fox News in the room..." (WaPo)

-- Erik Wemple says that with Trump gone, "Fox & Friends" has "found another way of feeding its MAGA base — with a programming kiss to a governor widely seen as a successor to Trump..." (WaPo)

-- For its part: Fox says that it "did not request or mandate that the May 6th event and interview with Gov. Ron DeSantis be exclusive..." (Deadline)

-- Chuck Todd said that Thursday "appears to be the day that you can mark in your calendars as the day that represents the Republican Party's complete surrender to Donald Trump..." (MSNBC)

-- Sarah Ellison, Jonathan O'Connell, and Josh Dawsey took an in-depth look at how Newsmax chief Chris Ruddy "might pay a price" for going "all-in on Trump." Plus, some rich color about Mar-a-Lago lobsters... (WaPo)

🎧 On this week's Reliable podcast: Rana Ayyub 🎧

Brian Stelter writes: "When I heard Rana Ayyub, the Mumbai-based journalist and WaPo global opinions writer, tell Christiane Amanpour that 'journalism in India is on a ventilator,' I had to hear more. Ayyub joined me on this week's Reliable podcast for an in-depth talk about the perilous state of the pandemic in India; the weaknesses of domestic news coverage in the country; and the conduct of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Ayyub says "journalism is happening in India, but the gatekeepers are not allowing the truth to kind of get on the front pages." She asserts that "everything has been taken over by the Modi government. It's a one-man show." Hear our convo via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, or your favorite app...

A new FCC complaint against Sinclair

"The Baltimore State's Attorney's Office says it filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday requesting an investigation of WBFF, the Sinclair-owned Fox-affiliated TV station in Baltimore," the Baltimore Sun's David Zurawik reported Thursday. The letter of complaint "alleges a pattern of coverage of the state's attorney's office that is 'blatantly slanted, dishonest, misleading, racist, and extremely dangerous.'" But it'll be an uphill battle for the complainant. Sinclair said "we stand by our reporting..."

FRIDAY PLANNER

-- Gannett reports earnings before the bell...

-- Biden will deliver remarks on the economy in the morning...

-- "Jupiter's Legacy," another big graphic-novel adaption, takes off on Netflix...

Is the NYT interested in buying The Athletic?

Someone seems to be shopping this idea around. But how real is it? Kerry Flynn writes: "In March, Ben Mullin scooped that Axios and The Athletic were discussing a merger. Now, less than two months later, Mullin reports that those talks are over and the sports publication now 'views The New York Times as a leading contender for a merger tie-up.' Okay, but does the NYT see it that way too? A few questions: 1) Why is The Athletic so eager to sell? We don't know whether it's profitable, but I doubt it is. 2) Why didn't Axios want it? Perhaps because of the finances and their different business models. Axios is ad-focused. Athletic is subscription-based. 3) Why NYT? Well, they're aligned on subscriptions. Axios and NYT already have sports coverage, but maybe NYT really wants more of it so it can charge more and/or attract new readers. Or maybe The Athletic is just trying to drum up interest..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE

-- Joe Pompeo has an inside look at the New York Post drama prompted by the bogus story about Kamala Harris and the border... (Vanity Fair)

-- Speaking of the tabloid, its parent company News Corp "swung to a profit of $79 million" in Q1, per Thursday's earnings release... (WSJ)

-- In other news, Max Tani, Lachlan Cartwright, and Lloyd Grove have an "inside the hunt" story about the search for WaPo's next editor... (Daily Beast)

-- One tidbit from the Beast story: NYT's Ben Smith, who had apparently been floated for the top job at WaPo, is "currently writing a book about digital media in the blogging heyday of the late aughts..." (Daily Beast)

-- Olivia Messer's latest is a powerful must-read about how reporters are "not okay" and how an "underprepared industry is losing a generation of journalists to despair, trauma and moral injury as they cover the story of a lifetime..." (Study Hall)

Will Facebook investigate its role in the insurrection?

Donie O'Sullivan writes: "One of the most important aspects of the Oversight Board's decision this week wasn't about Trump's social media accounts. Instead, it was a recommendation for a deeper review of the role the platform played in the spread of election conspiracy theories that, in the board's words, 'exacerbated tensions that culminated in the violence in the United States on January 6.' Facebook — including COO Sheryl Sandberg — has attempted to distance itself from the idea that its platform played a role in the insurrection, so the recommendation that it reckon with its culpability in election misinfo and violence may not be one it welcomes..."

>> Donie adds: "FB spox Andy Stone told me that the company was considering all recommendations made by the board. He did not comment specifically on this rec..."

What the board members are saying

"In two online events Thursday, five members of Facebook's oversight board defended their decision to punt" on the Trump ruling, CNBC's Lauren Feiner reports. "Their defense essentially boiled down to: It's not our job to write Facebook's rules."

>> Look out Friday morning for another board member interview: Kara Swisher is releasing a bonus episode of "Sway," an interview with Alan Rusbridger, the former Guardian EIC turned Facebook Oversight Board member...

FOR THE RECORD, PART FOUR

-- Twitter has suspended an account that appeared to be circumventing its Trump ban "by posting messages he shared on his own website," Adam Edelman wrote... (NBC News)

-- Related: "Facebook is removing accounts that say they are representing the new Trump website. It has already removed at least two from Facebook and Instagram," Rachel Lerman noted... (WaPo)

-- Brandy Zadrozny highlighted some stats to point out that "the attempts by Trump's team to come back from deplatforming are objectively not going well. People are not engaging with the posts. Deplatforming works..." (Twitter)

YouTube's new $ for news programs

"YouTube is spending $7 million to fund two new programs to help journalists looking to build an audience on YouTube," Axios' Sara Fischer reported Thursday. One program is for independent journalists and the other is for assisting digital newsrooms. Fischer noted in her story that it's "the first time YouTube is spending money to fund journalism independently of the $300 million Google has dedicated to journalism programs through its Google News Initiative..."

Twitter launches Tip Jar 💰

Kerry Flynn writes: "Remember when Twitter was notorious for not shipping products fast? Well, it's been a busy week with the wider rollout of Spaces, the acquisition of Scroll and the launch of Tip Jar. The new feature lets users link to a payment platform, such as Cash App, Patreon or Venmo, on their profile. One immediate privacy concern: PayPal shares addresses. It'll be interesting to see if any newsrooms explicitly ban the use of Tip Jar. Casey Newton tweeted, "Should be a fun preview of the chaos that Super Follows are going to unleash on the media industry..."

NewFronts Day 4: TikTok > TV

Kerry Flynn writes: "If there's one thing the NewFronts makes clear every year, it's the options of what to watch (and where brands should be) seem limitless. I was intrigued to see TikTok's presentation positioned the app as monopolizing attention. One fascinating stat they shared from a Kantar study: '30% of US TikTokers said they watch less TV, streaming, and other video content since joining TikTok.' I'm definitely in that cohort. But as Twitter's Lara Cohen tweeted, that's a very different pitch than Twitter's 'drive tune in' with TV partners rather than take it away."

>> Flynn adds: "Other highlights from Day 4 were more talk about our cookie-less future from Meredith and GSTV. The pitch: Now more than ever brands need to buy within content and target interests. Speaking of content, I'm still a bit overwhelmed by how many overlapping entertainment brands Penske owns these days. That's it for NewFronts. Next week is the Podcast Upfronts..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART FIVE

-- The American Society of Magazine Editors have announced the finalists for the 2021 National Magazine Awards. Finalists will be honored virtually on June 10th... (ASME)

-- Dan Froomkin wrote about NYT saying goodbye to op-eds and hello to "guest essays." The result "could be a brilliant reinvention of the intellectual public square, full of wonderfully diverse voices where the only barrier to entry is a willingness to argue in good faith..." (Press Watch)

Lowry reviews "The Water Man" and "Wrath of Man"

Brian Lowry writes: "'The Water Man' and 'Wrath of Man' might sound alike, but they couldn't be more different, other than both hitting theaters this weekend and not being particularly good. The first – produced by Oprah Winfrey – is a family movie marking David Oyelowo's directing debut, with a fine performance by Lonnie Chavis ('This is Us') at its center; and the latter reunites Jason Statham and director Guy Ritchie roughly 15 years after their last collaboration, in a remake of a violent French thriller about an armored-car guard hellbent on revenge..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART SIX

-- "The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the group of journalists for outlets based abroad that is best known for presiding over the annual Golden Globe Awards, has voted to approve sweeping reforms," Scott Feinberg reports... (THR)

-- "Live Nation Entertainment CEO Michael Rapino said ticket demand was on an upsurge as vaccines roll out and countries reopen," Jill Goldsmith writes... (Deadline)

-- Variety's Emmy predictions are in... (Variety)

Lilly Singh's show to end

Brian Lowry writes: "NBC's later-night show starring Lilly Singh is coming to an end after two years, with the comic to develop other projects, including one for Netflix. According to Variety's Brian Steinberg, the network might be reconsidering talk in the time slot as viewing habits shift..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART SEVEN

By Lisa Respers France:

-- According to Victoria Beckham, The Spice Girls helped inspire Beyoncé...

-- Plus size model Tess Holliday hopes her anorexia revelation helps others...

-- Willow Smith surprised her mom Jada with a reunion of her metal band Wicked Wisdom. ..

SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST...

Cat of the day!

Reader Chris Gooch emails: "This is Toby Gooch. His owners are political junkies and big fans of Reliable Sources. Toby wears a tuxedo every day and his hobbies are eating and dragging lizards into the house..."