Many people who watch the top-rated Fox News Channel believe that its viewership is composed entirely of conservatives with no one from the left side of the political aisle there to keep its audience “fair and balanced.”
That’s not the perspective of Jessica Tarlov, a “progressive” contributor who regularly participates in FNC programs ranging from the weeknight Hannity show to the noontime Outnumbered show.
During an interview with Mediaite's Colby Hall, Tarlov dismissed that concept as “a complete myth.”
I know that people are watching. And it’s a complete myth that liberals don’t watch Fox. Right now the polling goes anywhere between 10 and 20 percent are liberals and then a good 20 to 30 percent are independents that are right. So those are persuadable voters. It’s a really big number, and I think that that word on the street has kind of been that this is just an echo chamber for President Trump and Mick Mulvaney to sit around and eat popcorn and watch Fox. I feel like that’s a complete fallacy. And I do also feel a responsibility to the liberal Twiterrati to say I’m here and I’m doing a really good job.
Tarlov insisted she's been a good liberal, and hasn't been "mealy-mouthed" and hasn't bashed Hillary Clinton, pleasing Republicans who want to talk about how bad her campaign was. She's not the Fox equivalent of a Nicolle Wallace.
Hall gushed over Tarlov as “the unlikeliest of the rising cable news stars this year” who has “consistently provided a sharp and dispassionate voice that serves as a compelling counterbalance to the reliably right-of-center opinion programming that has made Fox the top-rated cable news outlet.”
The woman -- who claims she’s not a journalist but is instead a “hired partisan” -- stated that she’s been on the cable channel “for about four years,” and she had only praise for Sean Hannity, who provided her first opportunities to appear on the cable channel:
He is the nicest dude I’ve [ever] met. He is the most generous and caring. He remembers the little details about everybody.
He takes everyone out all the time. He’s just gracious and lovely and so open.
As far as ensemble opinion shows like Outnumbered, she said "for the viewer at home, if you’re just screaming at each other, it’s not good TV." So Hall asked if she feels that as a liberal, she is actually “outnumbered” on a show called Outnumbered.
“I keep in mind the fact that I truly believe what I’m saying,” she replied. “And that also my views represent a majority of Americans, not the views of many of the people that I’m on with,” including “a woman’s right to choose or raising the minimum wage or how we do an impeachment.” She might want to check the polls again.
