The fact that Tucker Carlson is leaving the channel is finally good news from Fox News. Because for the lies spread by the quota king Carlson, the platform cannot be small enough.

Michael Hanfeld

editor responsible for feuilleton online and "media".

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Although he himself does not believe in it and although he "passionately hates" Donald Trump, according to internal chats, Carlson spreads Trump's fairy tale of the allegedly rigged 2020 presidential election. Carlson downplays the storming of the Capitol as a peaceful protest. Using manipulated sources from the internet, he spreads fake news about the war in Ukraine.

Whatever he claims to be the pure truth, it is nothing but propaganda that has been lied to. This cost Fox News dearly. The broadcaster had to pay 787 million dollars to the voting machine manufacturer Dominion, which took legal action against the election lie. Fox owner Rupert Murdoch, as is rumoured, himself ordered Carlson's expulsion.

However, we should not expect that less will be heard and seen of this in the future. As soon as he is out of Fox News, there is a hail of job offers. The right-wing broadcaster Newsmax wants him. Fox News, according to Newsmax's far-right competitor, is on its way to becoming a "mainstream" network: "Fox News has been on its way to becoming an established medium for some time, and the removal of Tucker Carlson is a major milestone in that endeavor." Millions of viewers have already switched to Newsmax. Carlson's expulsion will reinforce this.

And Carlson is also in demand in Putin's empire. "You are always welcome in Russia and Moscow," Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Solovyov writes on Telegram. "We are happy to offer you a job if you want to continue as a moderator or host," Solovyov's team announced. That would be a perfect fit for Carlson.