Fox News' graphics department is doing its best to undermine the impeachment witnesses
It's a nerve-wracking day for allies of President Trump, as the House Intelligence Committee launches into the first public hearing in its ongoing impeachment inquiry, looking specifically at the White House's potential mishandling of Ukrainian military aid. All of the major American news networks carried the testimony by William Taylor, the U.S. charge d'affaires in Ukraine, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State George Kent — but not everyone carried it the same.
Take a look at how the testimony was handled at Fox News. The Trump-friendly network's graphics team deployed several sidebars intended to give viewers "context" about the speakers on screen, although critics immediately noticed what seemed to be a glaring bias:
Taylor was also undermined by Fox's sidebar. "President Trump dismissed Taylor as a 'never Trumper,'" read one of the network's "facts." "GOP says Taylor had no first-hand knowledge about Ukraine aid," read another. Buzzfeed News reporter Jon Passantino pointed out that while those inclusions were eye-popping, they represented one of several graphics that Fox News aired during Taylor’s opening statement, including some that more straightforwardly described his role in events.
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Not everyone on the committee faced such harsh treatment by Fox, though. Ranking member Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) was described by the sidebar as having been "first elected to the House of Representatives in 2002," and noted that he "chaired House Intel Committee under House GOP majority."
If you'd, understandably, rather watch the hearing with no potential outside influence at all, there's always CSPAN. Jeva Lange
Editor's note: This article was updated after it was published to add additional information around the graphic for William Taylor.
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