Tucker Carlson, Don Lemon, And The Future Of Cable News

Diane Rehm: On My Mind

WAMU 88.5

Artists And Thinkers Right Here As Diane Transitions This Podcast To Weekly Episodes That We’ll Be Calling “On My Mind.”, News, Writers, Fans Of The Diane Rehm Show Can Continue To Listen To Its Trademark Conversations With Newsmakers

4.7 • 2.2K Ratings

🗓️ 28 April 2023

⏱️ 38 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Tucker Carlson’s firing Monday by Fox News sent shockwaves through the cable news landscape -- and the conservative media world.

One of the network’s best-known hosts, Carlson attracted massive audiences and wielded real political power, with a direct line to the White House and Donald Trump, when he was in office.

Shortly after word of Carlson’s departure leaked, another cable news star grabbed headlines. Longtime CNN host Don Lemon announced the network cut him loose, just weeks after he made waves with on-air sexist remarks.

So what do these high-profile exits say about the state of Fox, CNN, cable news and our information ecosystem more generally? NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik joins Diane to discuss.

Transcript

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0:00.0	I am, I am, on my mind.
0:08.8	When honest people say what's true, calmly and without embarrassment, they become powerful.
0:14.7	At the same time, the liars who've been trying to silence them shrink and they become weaker.
0:22.1	That's former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson in a video released Wednesday night on Twitter.
0:30.4	It was his first public comment since being let go by Fox earlier in the week.
0:37.5	Carlson's firings and shockwaves through the cable news landscape and the conservative
0:44.5	media world.
0:46.3	At the same days, CNN let go on a bit star host Don Lemon.
0:52.3	Though the actions were unrelated, it did make me wonder about what these high-profile
0:59.1	exits mean for cable news and the news business more broadly.
1:06.0	David Falken's leg is in the art media correspondent.
1:11.0	He joined me to explain.
1:16.3	David in a very short period of time, three people at major networks lost their jobs.
1:25.0	You had Don Lemon at CNN.
1:29.0	You had Jeff Schell at NBC Universal and of course Tucker Carlson at Fox.
1:37.0	What is going on and was there any connection between or among the three?
1:46.0	Such a fair question.
1:49.3	One in various startled moments that you found you were sharing with colleagues and even
1:56.5	peers across different news organizations who were texting each other just saying it's
2:00.8	too much.
2:03.8	People on Monday morning were asking me about Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon.
2:10.6	I said, don't forget Jeff Schell.
	...

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