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As someone who's spent, conservatively, thousands of hours reporting on and thinking about Seth Rich, Fox News, and conspiracy theories, the timing of the settlement highlighted in @benyt's new column doesn't infuriate me as much as the substance of it 1/x https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/17/business/media/fox-news-seth-rich-settlement.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage
What's infuriating is the absence of any contrition, apology, or remediation by Fox, especially @seanhannity.
As I've reported, Hannity arguably did more than anyone else to amplify the baseless, discredited, and cruel conspiracy theories about Seth. 2/x https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/seth-rich-fox-news-sean-hannity-wikileaks-donald-trump-1040830/
As I've reported, Hannity arguably did more than anyone else to amplify the baseless, discredited, and cruel conspiracy theories about Seth. 2/x https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/seth-rich-fox-news-sean-hannity-wikileaks-donald-trump-1040830/
. @seanhannity hyped it on multiple nights on his Fox show, on his radio show, and on Twitter. We're talking about a combined potential audience here of ~tens of millions of people.~
Imagine one of the loudest voices in TV saying the following about your dead brother or dead son:
Imagine one of the loudest voices in TV saying the following about your dead brother or dead son:
Even after http://FoxNews.com retracted its original story about Seth and WikiLeaks, Hannity kept hammering away.
“All you in the liberal media,” he said on his radio show, “I am not http://Fox.com or http://FoxNews.com . I retracted nothing.” 4/x
“All you in the liberal media,” he said on his radio show, “I am not http://Fox.com or http://FoxNews.com . I retracted nothing.” 4/x
Only when Aaron, Seth's brother, pleaded with Hannity and one of his producers, Porter Berry, did Hannity back down.
Even then, he didn't retract or apologize.
Instead he said: “Out of respect for the family’s wishes, for now, I am not discussing this matter at this time.” 5/x
Even then, he didn't retract or apologize.
Instead he said: “Out of respect for the family’s wishes, for now, I am not discussing this matter at this time.” 5/x
In fact, he had the gall to claim he was HELPING the Rich family, writing in a tweet (that he since deleted):
"I said publicly over and over to the Rich Family they are in my thoughts and prayers. I m trying to find the truth as the Mom Dad bro asked" https://theweek.com/speedreads/701104/sean-hannity-losing-mind-over-seth-rich-liberal-fascism 6/x
"I said publicly over and over to the Rich Family they are in my thoughts and prayers. I m trying to find the truth as the Mom Dad bro asked" https://theweek.com/speedreads/701104/sean-hannity-losing-mind-over-seth-rich-liberal-fascism 6/x
Hannity has never retracted his segments about Seth Rich. Never apologized. Never admitted he was wrong.
Fox would not let me interview him for this
story: https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/seth-rich-fox-news-sean-hannity-wikileaks-donald-trump-1040830/ 7/x
Fox would not let me interview him for this
story: https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/seth-rich-fox-news-sean-hannity-wikileaks-donald-trump-1040830/ 7/x
Which brings me back to the settlement @benyt wrote about.
From the outside, you get the impression that Fox, after putting the Riches thru hell, simply paid enough money to make the suit go away, wash it hands of it, as if this were simply the cost of doing business. 8/x
From the outside, you get the impression that Fox, after putting the Riches thru hell, simply paid enough money to make the suit go away, wash it hands of it, as if this were simply the cost of doing business. 8/x
If there any Fox employees out there, current or former, who want to talk about any part of this whole tragedy-debacle involving Seth, I'd love to hear from you.
My email address is in my bio. 9/9
My email address is in my bio. 9/9
