On CNN's Reliable Sources on Sunday, host Brian Stelter dredged up his favorite topic to whine about on his low-rated show: Fox News. Stelter even played the race card by accusing Fox News of "starting a fight that's rooted in white identity politics" because some hosts on Fox disagree with Biden picking a Supreme Court Justice based solely on race and gender.
Stelter started by kvetching over how American politics is so divisive and that nobody can seem to come together on any issue of importance. "Is there a way out of the cataclysmic conflicts that seem to consume everything? Divisions over Covid, vaccines, teaching, policing, feel like they're making the United States less and less so," he said.
He then credited the media as being at the root of the problem, suggesting, "media outlets are very much a part of this entangled in conflict, us versus them, left versus right, the middle versus extremes, heroes versus villains, alt-right versus mainstream, and so on and so on."
Stelter continued: "When people lose their minds in ideological disputes, political feuds, or gang vendettas. High conflict is a force that causes people to lie awake at night and fear for the future." Adding that he "can see this kind of conflict right now with a looming Supreme Court confirmation battle."
In the same breath, Stelter then made the kind of vile political attack he was just criticizing:
Fox wants a fight. Right-wing radio and TV wants a fight. They need a fight over the Supreme Court. They are already starting a fight that's rooted in white identity politics. All of Fox's primetime shows are outraged that Biden has committed to nominating a justice who is black and female.
It's clear that Stelter's calls for unity are simply an excuse for him to attack Fox News and conservative media. In addition to Stelter's glaring hypocrisy, his main criticism of Fox doesn't even make sense at face value.
As The Spectator's Stephen Miller pointed out, Biden has ruled out nominating an Asian or Hispanic Supreme Court Justice. So it's Biden who has made the SCOTUS nomination process about identity politics, not Fox News.
This segment of Brian Stelter calling for unity while simultaneously accusing Fox News of playing "white identity politics" was made possible thanks to the endorsements by AT&T and LifeLock. Their contact information is linked so you can let them know about the biased news they fund.
To read the relevant transcript of this segment click "expand":
CNN’s Reliable Sources
1/30/2022
11:01:02 AMBRIAN STELTER: But first is there a way out? Is there a way out of the cataclysmic conflicts that seem to consume everything? Divisions over covid, vaccines, teaching, policing, feel like they're making the United States less and less so. And media outlets are very much a part of this entangled in conflict, us versus them, left versus right, the middle versus extremes, heroes versus villains, alt-right versus mainstream, and so on and so on. Healthy conflict can be good, but we are in a state of high conflict defined in a recent book as a good versus evil kind of feud.
When people lose their minds in ideological disputes, political feuds, or gang vendettas. High conflict is a force that causes people to lie awake at night and fear for the future. And I can see this kind of conflict right now with a looming Supreme Court confirmation battle. I guess I could call it a confirmation process, maybe I should, but I default to the word battle because that's the way it's portrayed in the press. And look maybe it won't really be a battle, some conservative activists are saying they’re not planning to go scorched Earth against President Biden's nominee to replace Justice Stephen Breyer. Since whoever the nominee is will not change the balance of the court. But let's be honest, Fox wants a fight. Right-wing radio and TV wants a fight. They need a fight over the Supreme Court. They are already starting a fight that's rooted in white identity politics. All of Fox's primetime shows are outraged that Biden has committed to nominating a justice who is black and female.
[cuts to video]
TUCKER CARLSON: What matters, Joe Biden explained, is sex and skin color.
SEAN HANNITY: It is beyond extremely divisive, it may even be illegal.
LAURA INGRAHAM: Rubber stamp justice.
[cuts back to live]
STELTER: It's a state of permanent political warfare, but does it have to be?
