NewsBusters managing editor Curtis Houck was back on the Fox News Channel late Wednesday/early Thursday as he joined host Trace Gallagher on Fox News @ Night to discuss the massive national security threat posed by Chinese-owned TikTok as well as how CNN senior media reporter Oliver Darcy made raising these concerns out to be an issue to please Fox viewers.
Following a clip of Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) noting that TikTok, by nature of being a Chinese company, must “allow the Chinese Communist Party to gain access to all of the private data on any device,” Houck said the reality TikTok users need to realize is they “can go watch dog videos and get recipes somewhere else.”
“[T]he excuse from TikTok and I’ve seen some in the mainstream media [is] that, you know, this is how all social media companies operate. Well, they’re not all owned by China. You know, ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok is subject to China’s National Security law, that they would have to turn over user data at a moment’s [notice],” he continued, pointing out that FCC member Brendan Carr “has called this...digital fentanyl.”
In turn, Houck said, TikTok’s parent company ByteDance has “not only the contacts, but the texts, and the images, and videos, everything that’s on your clipboard, and they’re building profiles, just like they build profiles of their own citizens.”
Gallagher then turned to Darcy’s latest nonsense that he called “not usual” as, citing a TikTok source, he wrote a CNN.com piece screeching in the headline: “Ban TikTok? How Republicans Are Playing to the Fox News Crowd with Attacks on the Social Media.”
Gallagher added that while Darcy conceded there are “real issues with TikTok related to data privacy protections,” he still made it about Fox News. Going to Houck, Gallagher said: “So — so yeah, TikTok is bad, but not as bad as Fox News makes it out to be. Come on.”
Houck replied that was “absolutely ludicrous” and “asinine” from “former Brian Stelter underling and former conservative reporter.” In contrast, Houck said the major broadcast networks “have spent just about 14 minutes in the last month on this”, so they seem to “be taking this quite seriously, even though they themselves still have TikTok accounts.”
“But as my friend Matthew Foldi has said, you know, BytaDance and Santa Claus seem to have a lot in common, and it’s something that mainstream media would want to take a look at, because it’s a threat to all Americans and it’s a threat to free speech and transparency as well,” he added, citing this Spectator piece from Foldi.
Gallagher closed with a real question, which was whether TikTok hearings will fetch any media coverage or will they go the way of the Twitter Files with paltry serious media attention.
Houck agreed, insisting it’s possible “given the bipartisan nature of the unanimous consent vote” when “any senator” could have “object[ed] and no one did.”
After calling out White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre for continually dismissing questions about TikTok by citing the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), Houck argued the Biden administration should take action “if it is serious as Secretary Yellen and FBI Director Wray say it is.”
Houck closed by noting the hearings could “be a great opportunity for Republicans and the media to educate the American public about what’s going on because we were outraged with the NSA and WikiLeaks about a decade ago.”
To see the relevant transcript from December 15, click “expand.”
FNC’s Fox News @ Night with Trace Gallagher
December 15, 2022
12:06 a.m. Eastern[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Chinese Checkers; Senate Votes to Ban TikTok on Government Devices]
TRACE GALLAGHER: So, with the bill to ban TikTok on U.S. government devices now headed to the house, let’s get some insight on the mainstream media angle with NewsBusters Managing Editor, Curtis Houck. Chris, great to have you on. Here’s what Marco Rubio said about banning of TikTok and I’ll get your thoughts on the other side. Watch.
SENATOR MARCO RUBIO (R-FL): I want to ban TikTok for a very simple reason: they allow the Chinese Communist Party to gain access to all of the private data on any device in America that’s using TikTok, that’s our kids. That’s phones connected to our kid’s phones.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: TikTok Crackdown; New Bill Looks to Ban Social Media App in the U.S.]
GALLAGHER: And there is evidence, Curtis, supporting that.
CURTIS HOUCK: Yeah, Trace, it’s pretty simple. I think people can go watch dog videos and get recipes somewhere else. I mean, you know, the excuse from TikTok and I’ve seen some in the mainstream media that, you know, this is how all social media companies operate. Well, they’re not all owned by China. You know, ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok is subject to China’s National Security law, that they would have to turn over user data at a moment’s instance. You know, FCC member, Brendan Carr has called this, you know, app digital fentanyl, and I think that’s exactly right. Because, you know, they have not only the contacts, but the texts, and the images, and videos, everything that’s on your clipboard, and they’re building profiles, just like they build profiles of their own citizens.
GALLAGHER: Yeah, and it’s interesting, because you have CNN over there. Oliver Darcy, he says the following here, which of course is not unusual. He says — the headline is “Ban TikTok? How Republicans Are Playing to the Fox News Crowd with Attacks on the Social Media.” But then, Curtis, and he says the following here, he says, “none of this is to say that there aren’t real issues with TikTok related to data privacy protections, and its all-powerful algorithm where small tweaks could dramatically influence the public discourse on a number of subjects.” So — so yeah, TikTok is bad, but not as bad as Fox News makes it out to be. Come on.
HOUCK: Right, exactly. I mean, it’s just absolutely ludicrous. Leave it to former Brian Stelter, underling and former conservative reporter to make such an asinine argument. I mean, I mean, the networks have spent time on it. So, they, you know, ABC, CBS, NBC, have spent just about 14 minutes in the last month on this, unlike — you know — be taking this quite seriously, even though they themselves still have TikTok accounts. But as my friend Matthew Foldi has said, you know, BytaDance and Santa Claus seem to have a lot in common, and it’s something that mainstream media would want to take a look at, because it’s a threat to all Americans and it’s a threat to free speech and transparency as well.
GALLAGHER: Yeah, and you talk about whether they’re going to cover something or not and I’m wondering if the Republicans, you know, really do go out and invite these 51 intel people who said that the Hunter Biden laptop was nothing but or had the hallmarks of Russian disinformation, you think CNN covers that? You think MSNBC covers that? Or they just let that go with the rest of the Twitter files?
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Downplaying Documents; Many Media Outlets Ignored the ‘Twitter Files’]
HOUCK: Yeah, it’s a great question. But I think, you know, given the bipartisan nature of the unanimous consent vote tonight, you know, with those kinds of votes, any senator can object and no one did to Josh Hawley’s proposal. So, I think that’s a chance for real progress in this, you know, upcoming Congress, along with COVID in Afghanistan, where you might see real bipartisanship, you know, as someone who watched the White House press briefing, Karine Jean-Pierre can’t just simply go back to the Committee on Foreign Investment. You know, it’s like there’s some independent agency that they have no control over. The Biden administration, if they, if it is serious as Secretary Yellen and FBI Director Wray say it is, they should really look to take action themselves because the President proclaims to be a bipartisan president. This would be a very popular move, I think, among the American people. And for those that aren’t aware of this, hearings would be a great opportunity for Republicans and the media to educate the American public about what’s going on because we were outraged with the NSA and WikiLeaks about a decade ago. I think the outrage level would be the same if they, if more Americans found out about what TikTok’s been up to.
GALLAGHER: If only they would cover it. Curtis Houck, great to see you as always. Thank you.
HOUCK: Right. Thanks, Trace.
