How Fox race baits; Maria Taylor joins NBC; conservative host's vaccination regret; YouTube faces scrutiny; Alex Jones' bizarre legal move; Tanzina Vega leaves WNYC

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Congratulations on making it to another summer weekend! Oliver Darcy here at 8:35pm ET on Friday, July 22. In this edition: A conservative radio host has changed his tune on vaccines after being hospitalized, the White House is reportedly upset with YouTube, Alex Jones is trying to depose Hillary Clinton, and Tanzina Vega has departed WNYC. But first...

It's not just Tucker Carlson

There is a tendency among those who don't spend much time watching Fox News to separate the rest of the network from figures like Tucker Carlson. But when you actually step back and examine the network as a whole, it becomes quite clear that Carlson's rhetoric largely fits neatly into broader themes pushed by Fox as a network. This is also the case when it comes to race baiting.

While Carlson engages in bald-faced race baiting, Fox as a network also works to cater to the fears of White America. And programming in that vein has increased recently, engraining itself into the channel's core DNA.

Fox understands the panic rippling through White America — it should, it helped create it — and exploits it for profit. Instead of using its platform for good-faith discussion and debate about race, the network chooses to demonize those seeking to have it. It presents a terrifying world to viewers and then tells them, repeatedly, that it is the only entity in society standing up to the nefarious forces that seek to destroy their way of life. This is the subject of my latest story for CNN...

From CRT to Black Lives Matter to protesting athletes

Examples showing how Fox race baits as a network are frankly too numerous to count. Every day there is a new villain, a new avenue to stoke racial tension, a new target to attack and fuel the outrage machine. One day it is Black Lives Matter. The next day it is critical race theory. The day after it is lampooning a Black athlete protesting on the field. On and on it goes. And while the issues might seem disparate, the topics convey a singular message, one that is clear, consistent, and always present: People who don't look like you are threatening your way of life and the country as we know it...

"They peddle fear at a level that causes harm to communities"

I spoke with NAACP head Derrick Johnson about this. He too said that Fox's coverage all "blends together" and that Carlson isn't the only one race baiting at the network. "They play to the lowest common denominator of white fear," Johnson said of Fox. "They peddle fear at a level that causes harm to communities. ... They peddle fear starting from the morning shows and all throughout the day."

Johnson said that those who binge Fox have their "sense of reality disconnected from facts." He added, "It is disconnected from allowing different people to exist. It creates a level of tolerance around things that are mean, hate-based, and inhumane. It create a sense of us versus them." Johnson told me that he wished Fox "could get banned" for creating "intolerance" and "racial instability..."

A mostly white audience

When watching Fox, it's worth remembering that most of its audience is made up of one racial group. White people made up 94% of Carlson's audience from January 1 to July 7. Only 2% were Black. For comparison, over the same six-month period, CNN's 8 p.m. hour had an audience that was 25% Black and the audience for MSNBC's 8 p.m. hour was 27% Black. Both of those audiences were 66% White.

Fox: We're proud of our coverage

I asked Fox for a statement, and a network spokesperson defended the coverage, saying that it is proud to welcome "a variety of viewpoints from across the political and social spectrums." The spox added, "As we've seen from numerous op-eds featured across FOX News Digital, there are nuanced opinions surrounding issues like Critical Race Theory, and therefore believe it is important for our audience to hear from all sides on such pivotal matters, including prominent Black conservatives..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE

-- Maria Taylor has officially joined NBC. Kevin Draper writes that her "NBC career started with a surprise appearance from Tokyo before the rebroadcast of the Olympic opening ceremony on Friday evening in the United States..." (NYT)

-- James Poniewozik reviews NBC's morning presentation of the opening ceremony, writing that Savannah Guthrie and Mike Tirico were "juggling tone and focus, trying to meet the moment without bumming out the audience..." (NYT)

-- "For NBC, the covid Olympics will be a feat of strange movements and remote mystery," writes Steven Zeitchik... (WaPo)

-- Frank Pallotta writes that this "may be the lowest-rated Olympics ever," but that NBC "shouldn't sweat it..." (CNN)

-- Brian Steinberg goes "inside Comcast's plan to feature real-time Olympic footage in commercials..." (Variety)

-- Kelsey Sutton looks at what Olympics content is behind a paywall... (Adweek)

-- WaPo and USA Today created Olympics-related AR experiences such as a tour of the skateboarding course... (Digiday)

This Sunday on "Reliable"

Brian Stelter writes: "The one and only Carl Bernstein will be back on 'Reliable' this Sunday, along with three authors of recent books: 'Preventable' author Andy Slavitt, 'Strongmen' author Ruth Ben-Ghiat, and Julie K. Brown, who came out with 'Perversion of Justice' this week. Plus: Insider's chief media correspondent Claire Atkinson; tonight's newsletter author Oliver Darcy; and Dr. Nicole Baldwin, the Ohio pediatrician who asked President Biden a question at CNN's town hall this week. See you Sunday at 11am ET on CNN..."

WEEKEND PLANNER

The Tokyo Olympics continue all weekend long across all of NBC's platforms...

"Jolt," starring Kate Beckinsale, is streaming on Amazon Prime...

The series finale of "The Good Witch" airs Sunday at 9pm...

Conservative host "regrets not being more" pro-vaccine

A conservative radio host in Tennessee "regrets not being more vehemently" pro-vaccine after being hospitalized recently over Covid, his family said in a statement. The statement went on to say that the host, Phil Valentine, "looks forward to being able to more vigorously advocate that position as soon as he is back on the air." It ended saying, "PLEASE GO GET VACCINATED!" Speaking of which...

"What if Tucker Carlson told the world he'd been vaccinated?"

That's the headline over at The Daily Beast summarizing my discussion with Molly Jong-Fast. I joined Jong-Fast this week on her podcast "The New Abnormal" to talk about Fox's role — and right-wing media's role — in sowing doubt about the coronavirus vaccines. One point we discussed: Tucker Carlson is one of the few national figures who could likely persuade a sizable number of conservatives to take a coronavirus vaccine...

FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO

-- "Biden came into office pledging to follow the science, to vaccinate the country and lead the recovery. But he could not vaccinate the country against Fox News. There was no shot that could give viewers immunity to Tucker Carlson," Susan Glasser writes... (New Yorker)

-- Erik Wemple shows in significant detail how Tucker Carlson "mangles" the "story of heart inflammation and covid vaccines..." (WaPo)

-- Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull tells Mehdi Hasan that Rupert Murdoch's media empire has "contributed to blood being shed." Turnbull says "anyone discouraging [vaccinations] is contributing to death & disease..." (Twitter)

-- "Experts list many reasons for the vaccine slump, but one big reason stands out: vaccine resistance among conservative, evangelical, and rural Americans," David Frum writes. "Pro-Trump America has decided that vaccine refusal is a statement of identity and a test of loyalty..." (The Atlantic)

-- "Google is offering multiple products on its Play Store promoting the QAnon and 'plandemic' conspiracy theories, even though they seemingly violate the platform's rules," Alex Kaplan points out... (MMFA)

White House is also reportedly not happy with YouTube

"The White House has YouTube, not just Facebook, on its list of social media platforms officials say are responsible for an alarming spread of misinformation about COVID vaccines," Reuters' Nandita Bose reported Friday, citing sources. One senior admin official told her that a key problem with YouTube has been "inconsistent enforcement." A YouTube spokesperson said in response that the platform has removed nearly 1M videos containing coronavirus misinfo...

Showing proof of vaccination via Apple Wallet or Google Pay?

Amid all the talk of vaccine passports, one thing that has struck me for the last several months is how there is still no good way to show vaccination status on a phone. Some companies, like Fox Corporation, have started using their own systems that do this, but those are specific to the workplace. What about something that can be used elsewhere? Apple is introducing a feature to allow users to import a digital drivers license into the Wallet. Why doesn't the company — and Google — also do that with vaccine information so one can quickly offer restaurants and bars proof they've been immunized against Covid? Google and Apple are two of the few companies that have the scale to do something like this...

FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE

-- Emily Birnbaum reports that "major GOP tech critics sought funding from Google..." (Politico)

-- "Facebook's incumbent ad-buying shop GroupM has pulled out of the social-media giant's agency review," Alexandra Bruell reports... (WSJ)

-- "Ugly Truth" co-author Cecilia Kang says Mark Zuckerberg is starting to "plant the seeds" to one day step down" from Facebook... (Yahoo! Finance)

-- "We left Snapchat for dead. Instead, it's thriving," writes Abram Brown... (Forbes)

Alex Jones is trying to depose Hillary Clinton

CNN's Sarah Jorgensen writes: "In the latest bizarre twist in the years long court battle between the families of Sandy Hook shooting victims and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, the InfoWars founder now would like to depose Hillary Clinton. Court documents filed in Connecticut earlier this month by Jones' attorneys allege that the suit itself is part of a 'vendetta to silence Alex Jones after Ms. Clinton lost the presidential race to Donald J. Trump.' Attorneys representing the Sandy Hook families called for further court-ordered sanctions against the Jones camp, calling the attempt for a deposition 'frivolous' and 'a publicity stunt.' Judge Barbara Bellis has yet to rule on the request. The Daily Beast's Will Sommer has more here..."

Tanzina Vega leaves WNYC

Kerry Flynn writes: "'Some news,' Tanzina Vega tweeted Friday along with the screenshot of a longer statement announcing her departure from 'The Takeaway.' The Daily Beast's Maxwell Tani and Diana Falzone reported that Vega, who previously worked at CNN and NYT, 'has been on medical leave for months at the same time the network has looked into human-resources complaints against her, including claims that on multiple occasions Vega blew up at members of her staff.' The Beast noted that she 'has privately disputed the claims' and that her lawyer has done so publicly as well. NYT's Ben Smith reported on the HR investigation in May as part of his deeper dive into the culture at WNYC. Per The Beast, Melissa Harris-Perry is hosting the show in the interim..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART FOUR

-- "The closing of HuffPost Canada is more than another sad story to add to the layoffs seen at other newsrooms in Canada," John Loeppky writes... (Poynter)

-- Latest pivot to Substack: After 19 years as The Boston Globe's movie critic, Ty Burr has left to start his own subscription newsletter... (Twitter)

-- "Discovery is bracing for a bitter fight to keep its business in Poland amid an aggressive drive by the country's ruling right-wing party to block foreign ownership of media," Manori Ravindran and Cynthia Littleton report... (Variety)

ICYMI: This week's "Reliable" podcast

Brian Stelter writes: "My guest on this week's 'Reliable Sources' podcast is Phillip Smith, the founder and director of the Google News Initiative's Startups Bootcamp, which trains journalists to launch digital news ventures in eight weeks. We talked about what works; what doesn't work; and how to 'grow financially viable, award-winning digital newsrooms.' Tune in to the conversation via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, or your favorite podcast app..."

Weekend reads

By Katie Pellico:

-- Read about the Indigenous Investigative Collective, a network of reporters working through an "informational black hole" in trying to "report and analyze COVID-19 death numbers in and around the Navajo Nation..." (Poynter)

-- WSJ's video investigation team takes you "inside TikTok's algorithm..." (WSJ)

-- Michelle Goldberg writes about Julie K. Brown's new book, "Perversion of Justice," touching on the balance between the "fight to expose Epstein's crimes — and earn a living..." (NYT)

Is "Ted Lasso" actually a great show?

Brian Lowry writes: "As part of our 'Ted Lasso' season two preview, Sandra Gonzalez and I asked whether this was really a great show, or just the show that a lot of us needed when it premiered last year. My conclusion now, as then, is that the Apple TV+ series is a perfectly fine show, but the tendency is to exaggerate that, frankly, to justify all the coverage devoted to it. That includes, incidentally, connecting 'Ted' to larger questions and trends, as John Avlon did in this column connecting the fictional football coach to Joe Biden, describing Ted's 'secret weapon' as being 'the unapologetic defense of old virtues: kindness, compassion, humility and humor. He can seem corny and clueless, but his decency is endearing...'"

FOR THE RECORD, PART FIVE

-- "Cannes Palme d'Or winner 'Titane' is coming to the U.S. on October 1," Ethan Shanfeld writes... (Variety)

-- Amazon has unveiled "The Wheel of Time" season 2 teaser poster. That poster indicates it is "set to drop on Prime Video this November," Alexandra Del Rosario notes... (Deadline)

-- "Production on the second season of 'Gangs of London' ... has shut down following a positive COVID-19 test on set," Alex Ritman reports... (THR)

-- "Sean Penn will not return to the set of his new show 'Gaslit' until the entire cast and crew have received Covid vaccinations," Toyin Owoseje reports... (CNN)

Lowry recommends two documentaries

Brian Lowry writes: "'Val,' which draws upon Val Kilmer's home movies, is an intimate documentary – capturing the actor after speech has become difficult due to throat cancer – that turns out to be a fascinating look at art versus commerce, and how he earned the 'difficult' label. It's in theaters now, and will be available via Amazon in a few weeks. Elsewhere, 'Woodstock 99: Peace, Love and Rage' premieres on HBO Friday night and is available on demand right away. It connects the dots from the ugliness that ensued at that music festival 22 years ago to political and culture factors at the time and straight through to today..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART SIX

By Lisa Respers France:

-- Friday marked the tenth anniversary of the death of British singer Amy Winehouse. A decade later she is still so important...

-- Morgan Wallen says he was was using a racial slur "playfully," but knows it's wrong...

-- Kanye West's "Donda" album listening event: Here's everything you need to know about what happened...

-- Kate Beckinsale says she's "never" been on a real date...

LAST BUT NOT LEAST...

Pet of the Day!

Reader Linda Lloyd emails: "This is Daisy in Calgary, Canada. She loves to join me in reading our daily copy of Reliable Sources. She thinks it's pawsome!"

Thank you for reading! Send a photo and caption of your pet for Pet of the Day consideration. And, as always, email us your feedback anytime. Enjoy the weekend...

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