Fox News Reportedly Quits Twitter In Protest Of Tweets Targeting Tucker Carlson
Fox News has been silent on Twitter for nearly two days in what is reported to be a protest of the way the social media platform handled tweets targeting anchor Tucker Carlson.
For 30 hours and counting, Fox News has been on a total Twitter blackout, not posting anything at all since a tweet from early Thursday morning about a federal judge ruling against Donald Trump on DACA. The company’s Fox News Politics account has also been silent, with its last post coming just a few minutes before the last one on the main account on Thursday morning.
The exile caught the attention of the rest of Twitter and led to some speculation about why the network would go on radio silence at a time when there are some major news stories, including accusations from Donald Trump that Democrats are trying to steal Senate races in Florida and Arizona.
There have been reports that the network is boycotting Twitter after protests against one of its anchors, Tucker Carlson. Protesters have gathered outside Carlson’s home, and some had shared the Fox News anchor’s address on Twitter.
Carlson said the protests grew violent.
“I called my wife,” Carlson told the Washington Post.
“She had been in the kitchen alone getting ready to go to dinner and she heard pounding on the front door and screaming…. Someone started throwing himself against the front door and actually cracked the front door.”
The protests were from a group called Smash Racism D.C., which calls itself an “anti-fascist organization.” The group said the protest was in response to anti-diversity remarks from Carlson.
As CNN reported, police were called to Carlson’s home on Wednesday, and the police department released a statement saying the demonstrators moved beyond First Amendment expressions.
“Last night, a group of protestors broke the law by defacing private property at a Northwest, DC residence. MPD takes these violations seriously, and we will work to hold those accountable for their unlawful actions,” the department said in a statement.
“There is currently an open criminal investigation regarding this matter.”
The protests have drawn considerable criticism from across the media, with CNN and other networks condemning the protest group.
There could be other factors at play to Fox News’ decision to stay silent on Twitter. Many noted the strange timing between Rupert Murdoch’s Capitol Hill meeting with McConnell and the network’s decision to stop posting on Twitter entirely.
The @FoxNews Twitter account has been silent for over 24 hours. A Fox News employee tells me Fox is choosing to stay silent while protesting how Twitter handled posts targeting Tucker Carlson — specifically the ones that included his address. address.
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) November 10, 2018
However, there has been no official word from Fox News about the reason for the retreat from Twitter. As of Friday evening, both of the network’s main accounts were still inactive.
