Fox News cuts off White House briefing just as ‘wannabe dictator’ Biden chyron mentioned
The network said the chyron was immediately taken down and that it had been ‘addressed’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Fox News appeared to mute and cut off a White House briefing on Wednesday when Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre condemned the network for calling President Joe Biden a “wannabe dictator”.
Donald Trump was arrested and arraigned for a second time on Tuesday in Miami – this time on 37 federal charges related to his handling of classified government documents after leaving the White House.
Following his arraignment, Mr Trump gave a speech at his Bedminster golf club on Tuesday night, which coincided with an address by Mr Biden at the White House.
Fox News’ covered the speeches with a split screen of the two men, including a news chyron reading: “WANNABE DICTATOR SPEAKS AT THE WHITE HOUSE AFTER HAVING HIS POLITICAL RIVAL ARRESTED.”
The graphic appeared near the end of the 8pm hour during a broadcast of “Fox News Tonight”, a show that replaced Tucker Carlson's show after he was fired.
During a White House press briefing on Wednesday afternoon, a reporter asked Ms Jean-Pierre about the Fox News chyron.
“There are probably about 787,000,000 things that I can say about this. That was wrong,” she said – a reference to the $787m payout Fox News agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems to settle a defamation case.
As Ms Jean-Pierre began her answer, Fox News – which was broadcasting the briefing live – dropped her audio, with an off-screen anchor announcing they would “continue to listen for any of the top stories” from the briefing.
A loud sigh was heard as the camera then cut to anchor John Roberts who instead began a report on a 10-foot crocodile that found its way into a pool in Florida.
Fox News was pressed by reporters to explain the chyron immediately after it was spotted, with the network giving a one-line statement on the matter.
“The chyron was taken down immediately and was addressed,” a spokesperson for the network told CNN.
Fox News' Brian Kilmeade also referred to Mr Trump as the “president of the United States” during its airing of the post-arraignment speeches.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments