Tucker Carlson’s Fox Departure Signals The End For Corporate Media

Auguste MeyratApril 28, 2023

Why Tucker Carlson’s Departure from Fox News is a Loss for Conservatives

Despite his popularity and relevance, it remains a mystery why Fox News decided to fire Tucker Carlson. Was it due to the Dominion lawsuit? Did a coworker file a serious complaint about him? Or did Fox executives decide that the risks he took were more of a liability than an asset? Whatever the reason, most people agree that Fox lost more than Carlson.

For many, Carlson was the only reason to watch cable television, let alone Fox. He was the one authentic person who challenged the Democrat and Republican party lines. Carlson’s monologues were news events in themselves because they resonated so well with many Americans. His authenticity and independence made him unique and likely irreplaceable.

Some people have compared his departure to that of Bill O’Reilly, who also commanded large audiences, but O’Reilly was a pundit for a different time. His brand differed entirely from Carlson’s. By contrast, Carlson voiced populist, anti-establishment, and non-interventionist opinions.

While O’Reilly is a relic of “Conservatism Inc.,” Carlson is emblematic of what conservative media has become: a wide diversity of voices on a variety of platforms that all oppose the leftist narrative propagated by legacy media outlets. By dumping Carlson, Fox’s leaders are deciding to return to the good ol’ days of Conservative Inc. From now on, news and opinion broadcasts will be safe, filtered, and milquetoast.

In the short term, this might protect Fox from more lawsuits and harassment, but in the long term, this assures that Fox will fade into oblivion along with the rest of cable television as alternative online media takes over.

Why Conservatives Should Welcome the Change

Rather than treating this as a loss, conservatives should welcome the change. This might push more people, especially older generations, to abandon cable news altogether. Conservatives can leave the insipid programming of cable news for the leftist midwits who pride themselves on being (mis)informed.

Frankly, Carlson could not stay at Fox forever. Though he excelled as a cable broadcaster, his commentary, intelligence, and willingness to explore controversies fit new styles of conservative media too. When he could have stayed on script and let his popularity carry him along, he instead continued taking ever-larger risks and angering powerful people. In many ways, he had a stronger counter-cultural and anti-establishment bent than the typical punk rocker.

As such, it is fitting that he can move into a medium that allows him to work on his own terms. Not only will this allow him more freedom to express himself and to amplify important voices and arguments, but it will also be more profoundly American.