CNN media analyst Brian Stelter was mocked on social media for complaining that Fox News hosts like Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity are not showing themselves on-air getting a COVID-19 vaccine like hosts and personalities from other networks are doing.
In an interview with left-leaning Media Matters For America senior fellow Matt Gertz, Stelter noted that over the weekend, a record number of vaccines had been administered around the country before claiming “it’s really important to see all these TV anchors, personalities, showing themselves getting the shot.”
“We’ve seen a lot of vaccine selfies from lots of folks from lots of different networks. It’s been really inspiring to see,” Stelter continued, adding that “Today” show co-hosts recently took part in an outdoor live vaccination event.
“And Rachel Maddow on MSNBC on Friday talked about how she was really fearful of the needle, really worried about it…and yet, it was important to get the shot,” the CNN host continued.
“So, I say all that to make the following point: Where are Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham? Where is Ainsley Earhart and Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade? Where are the biggest stars on Fox getting vaccinated?” Stelter asked.
“I get that it’s a personal choice” between the hosts and their doctors, he added. “But everybody else is doing it…why do you think we haven’t seen the biggest stars on Fox News get vaccinated or show us their vaccine selfies?”
“I don’t know. I think that Fox has a really unique responsibility here,” Gertz began, as Stelter interjected, “Yes!”
Gertz went on to say that Fox News hosts have told viewers for years they are more trustworthy than other personalities on other networks, which could be parlayed into pushing their audiences to get vaccinated.
“When instead of telling their viewers, ‘Look, go get the shot, it is in your interests, it is safe, it is incredibly effective, it will get us back to normal,’ they are raising questions about its effectiveness, raising questions about whether it is dangerous,” Gertz continued.
“That does a lot of damage. Steve Doocy should get vaccinated live on Fox & Friends. It would save lives, it would save the lives of his viewers,” Gertz claimed, as Stelter chimed in, “Absolutely!”
“I don’t understand why they won’t do that,” the Media Matters senior fellow added.
The segment was widely ridiculed online.
“An actual headline. I can’t…” former Fox News host Megyn Kelly tweeted in a post that included a screengrab of the segment with a circled chyron that read, “Fox’s Biggest Stars Have Not Shared Vaccine Selfies.”
Lol. An actual headline. I can’t. https://t.co/L2dH23mAwD
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) April 12, 2021
“Holy sh*t CNN is beyond parody,” wrote a user named Jewish Deplorable. “CNN’s Mr. Potato Head is now whining about Fox hosts not taking vaccine selfies.”
Holy sh*t CNN is beyond parody pic.twitter.com/u7eoNCZsbr
— Jewish Deplorable (@TrumpJew2) April 11, 2021
CNN’s Mr. Potato Head is now whining about Fox hosts not taking vaccine selfies pic.twitter.com/9lSosQ5lq3
— Jewish Deplorable (@TrumpJew2) April 11, 2021
Why would it matter to anyone if a news person gets the vaccine? Do people actually look up to them?
— Butch Chatfield (@CaddyshackLou) April 11, 2021
Is anyone going to tell @brianstelter he’s having a reaction to the shot… his face and head are swelled to the point of explosion.
— hank rearden 🚄 (@RIGHTofNEO) April 11, 2021
Such hard hitting news. He forgot to put on his angry eyes.
— Ms Van Winkle (@winkle_ms) April 11, 2021
“I get that it is a personal choice. I get that it is between the host and their health care provider”
Apparently you don’t…
— Silver Rider (@realsilverrider) April 11, 2021
I have no words
— TwoPiece (@twopiece55) April 11, 2021
The Stelter segment is the latest to take aim at the right-leaning rival network, whose hosts routinely beat CNN’s prime time lineup in terms of overall viewers and the key 25-54 demographic.
Last month, Stelter likened Carlson to the 45th president, declaring, “Tucker Carlson is the new Donald Trump.”
Carlson’s opportunities with Fox News, meanwhile, have only expanded in recent weeks, as the network’s streaming service, Fox Nation, has added two new programs featuring the popular nightly host, “Tucker Carlson Today” and “Tucker Carlson Originals,” the latter of which debuts later this month.
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Jon@bizpacreview.com
Jon is a staff writer for BizPac Review with 30 years' worth of reporting experience, as well as an author and U.S. Army veteran. He has a BA in political science from Ashford University and an MA in national security studies/intelligence analysis from American Military University.
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