On Sunday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) told former White House Press Secretary and current MSNBC host Jen Psaki that hosts on Fox News should be censored by the federal government.
“Do you think media organizations or social media platforms should be accountable for the role, for being being platforms for incitement?” Psaki asked.
“I believe that when it comes to broadcast television, like Fox News, these are subject to federal law, federal regulation in terms of what’s allowed on air and what isn’t,” Ocasio-Cortez replied. “When you look at what Tucker Carlson and some of these other folks on Fox do, it is very, very clearly incitement of violence — very clearly incitement of violence. And that is the line that we have to be willing to contend with.”
“We have very real issues with what is permissible on air. We saw that with Jan. 6 and we saw that in the lead up to Jan. 6 and how we navigate questions — not just a freedom of speech but also accountability for incitement of violence — this is the line that we have to really explore through law as well,” she added.
.@AOC: "When you look at what Tucker Carlson and some of these other folks on Fox do, it is very, very clearly incitement of violence." pic.twitter.com/qjnnDQrtqj
— Inside with Jen Psaki (@InsideWithPsaki) April 23, 2023
Ocasio-Cortez’s call for Tucker Carlson and other Fox News hosts to be censored came a day prior to the announcement of Fox News and Tucker Carlson parting ways.
“FOX News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways. We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor,” a Fox News statement reads. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) had previously called for Tucker to be censored, insisting that Fox News CEO Rupert Murdoch “has a special obligation to stop Tucker Carlson from going on tonight, now that he’s seen how he has perverted and slimed the truth, and from letting him go on again and again and again.”
Related: Your Silver Lining: Don Lemon Out at CNN
It is not currently clear why Carlson is leaving the network. The news came as a shock to many, particularly considering his high ratings. His departure follows the departure of Dan Bongino last week, when Bongino and the network failed to reach an agreement over his contract. Whether Carlson’s departure had something to do with pressure from Democrats, or the recent settlement with Dominion, or something else, we just don’t know yet. But, with a nightly average of over three million viewers, Carlson wielded significant influence and played a pivotal role in shaping Fox News’ conservative perspective. As such, his absence is expected to have significant ramifications for the network.
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