Mainstream Media's Meltdown Over Tucker Carlson's Trip to Moscow
Mainstream Media's Meltdown Over Tucker Carlson's Trip to Moscow
After a few days of rumors, former Fox News star host Tucker Carlson is now officially in Moscow. He has confirmed that his reason for being there is to interview Russian President Vladimir Putin. But even before confirmation of this purpose for the visit, the internet and mainstream media erupted in controversy and even hysteria. Apparently a journalist visiting a so-called enemy territory, and potentially speaking to its leader, is now considered by many as being a traitor. Since when is a journalist doing his job of conducting a simple interview a sign of treason?
The media’s meltdown
The New York Times introduced their coverage of the upcoming interview by stating: “President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia will “soon” sit for an interview with Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News host said on Tuesday, a sign that the Russian leader is seeking to make a direct appeal to American conservatives as U.S. aid to Ukraine hangs in the balance.”
Right away, this event is being framed along the lines of political tribalism rather than the landmark historic event that it really is when a prominent American journalist meets with a foreign head of state, and is able to broadcast their conversation to the American public. To be fair, Carlson is no stranger to stoking the flames of political hysteria (many would even call him one of the architects of the craft). But the fact that Putin is willing to speak to him shows that he has evolved beyond simply a partisan talking head, and this moment should present an opportunity for Americans to unite in the face of such a landmark conversation rather than, yet again, turning it into fodder for the endless and contrived “left vs right” narrative that the mainstream media cannot seem to look past.
And plenty of other outlets have taken even more partisan tones. “Is Tucker Carlson in Moscow for Putin? The pro-Kremlin crowd hopes so,” headlines Politico; “Ukraine Sergeant Calls Tucker Carlson 'Enemy of Humanity' for Russia Visit,” announces Newsweek; and CNN declares that “Tucker Carlson is in Russia to interview Putin. He’s already doing the bidding of the Kremlin.” British news went even further, with GB News blasting the headline, “US talk show host Tucker Carlson slammed as 'traitor' after being pictured in Russia ahead of 'sit-down interview with Putin,'” based on an X (formerly Twitter) post from former congressman Adam Kinzinger that used the word “traitor” in reference to Carlson’s visit.
The European Union – where Big Government overreach barely even seems to be questioned – is going even further by weighing travel sanctions for Carlson into the EU, as reported by Newsweek. The article quotes Guy Verhofstadt, a former Belgian Prime Minister and current member of the European Parliament, who claims that Carlson’s offense is being a “mouthpiece” for Donald Trump Jr. Once again, since when does political affiliation become more important than nationality, constitutionality, and press freedom?
Honest Media is not trying to deny that political tribalism exists in the United States in 2024, that Carlson has played a significant role in it, and that Russia (as well as Putin) constantly gets pulled into this narrative – even somewhat by design. But turning the prospect of a sober interview with such a prominent world leader into yet another round of partisan hysteria shows how crazy mainstream media has gone. These outlets are blasting suspicion about ulterior motives and how it could affect the minds of so-called extremists as the main story, rather than focusing on what the facts actually tell us and waiting until the interview takes place to draw conclusions.
Voices of reason
More reasonable voices, such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Niko House have responded to the furor in support of Carlson’s First Amendment rights and credibility as a journalist.
House posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) where he pointed out that Larry King met with Muammar Gaddafi in 2009, during the “Arab Spring” revolutionary moment, and Peter Arnett (a Pulitzer Prize winner) interviewed Osama Bin Laden in 1997. These interviews were generally celebrated for being brave and groundbreaking.
Kennedy, meanwhile, put it quite simply:
“The legacy media is in shambles because we’ve caught onto their lies and propaganda. Tucker Carlson has every right to interview Putin. We need more transparency instead of less. It used to be understood journalists would interview world leaders, even those with whom we were at war.”
Such a sentiment should not even be controversial, yet it hardly takes much imagination to anticipate how the media will spin these words to claim that Kennedy is supporting partisanship and the Russian war effort, rather than free speech and press, which is in fact the center of his argument.
Yet for some reason, asking difficult questions, let alone acknowledging and talking to voices that the ruling class of politicians and their mainstream media allies view as unsavory, is now seen as some sort of horror, and even traitorous, in the United States of America.
Can Carlson and Putin help us restore some sense of normalcy? It’s unlikely, but Honest Media will wait to see what unfolds before drawing conclusions, and will stick to the facts when covering it.