Last week I had a “dense block head,” in the words of one commentator, suggesting that, rather than talk about myself, I should expand my scope of interest and explore a topic beyond my own self. I think that’s a great idea for this week’s column. I would like to talk about an issue impacting millions of people in an area of the world that I rarely talk about. So, with that being said, this week’s column will focus on my intense and debilitating fear of dying alone while having achieved nothing!
I’m just kidding. My victim complex, while big, isn’t big enough to dedicate two whole columns to it. This week however, I do want to talk about the king of victim complexes: Tucker Carlson. Since being abruptly fired last April from Fox News with no chance to comment – a truly wonderful day might I add – Carlson has done quite a lot, none of it good.
Despite losing the No. 1-rated show across cable, Carlson has regrettably still been able to maintain his influence with leading figures on the right. He’s interviewed former President Donald Trump, current President of Argentina Javier Milei and most recently, Russian President Vladmir Putin.
Carlson portrays his journalism (I am using the term “journalism” so charitably here I should be able to write it off on my taxes) as important and asking the tough questions. He’s a self-declared warrior for free speech who fights for us and holds the institutions and people who would try to harm us to full account.
I fundamentally disagree with how Carlson describes and practices his journalism. To say Carlson is a journalist would be like me saying that my pancreas works and has caused no problems in my life.
Carlson has repeatedly bent the knee to his interview subjects. When he interviewed proud antisemite Kanye West in Nov. 2022, he presented West as a misunderstood man who has been dealing with an avalanche of mental health problems. However, as reporting by Vice would show, there were a lot of subjects West spoke on that Carlson chose not to air. Antisemitism, a strange and lengthy digression about “fake children” he claimed were planted in his house to manipulate his own children and a statement that he’s vaccinated against COVID-19 were all conveniently left out of the final interview by Carlson.
It makes sense that Calrson, who made millions spewing lies about medicine, would cut out his subject saying he took the very vaccine he lied about. It also makes sense that someone with a well documented history of racism and antisemitism would deliberately cut out West’s racism because he wanted to show his audience a specific version of West. While it’s logical, it’s also the direct opposite of good journalism.
You’re not supposed to present your subject how you want your audience to see them, you present your subject how they are. Carlson isn’t ignorant to this fact; he’s aware of it and just doesn’t care. Despite privately knowing that Trump’s election rhetoric was nonsense, he got up and continued to push lie after lie night after night.
Last week, Carlson took a trip to Moscow to interview Russian President Vladmir Putin. He had such a fun time in Russia, saying that the experience has “radicalized” himself against America’s leaders. Carlson marveled at the beautiful streets and subways that made up Moscow.
But, while interviewing Putin, Carlson routinely failed to challenge his points or his claims to Ukraine. At one point in the interview, Putin implied that the invasion of Poland by Nazi forces at the beginning of World War II was, in fact, Poland’s fault. Rather than push back or follow up, all Carlson did was nod his stupid head and remain silent. That is not journalism; it’s cowardice.
This kind of cowardice has consequences. Carlson didn’t go to Russia to actually hold Putin accountable for his countless violations of international laws. Putin is an ally to the American Right, and to Carlson. His, and the Right’s, hyper-fixation on anti-wokeness has enabled Putin to maintain power as head of state — a head of state with an appalling record on LGBTQ+ rights and protections being heralded for his “anti-woke” policies.
Look, the United States is by no means perfect. If you’ve read almost any article I’ve written, I am usually criticizing one thing or another about the state of American politics. In Russia, I would not have that right; Putin is a brutal, oppressive dictator who has no interest in any type of dissent. Carlson gave this dictator a primetime audience and about as favorable of a portrayal that a repressive regime could hope to get for from a media outlet.
If Carlson truly cared to find out the differences between Russia and the United States, he should’ve really gone and spoken with Russian opposition leaders and their supporters. Oh wait, that’s right; Putin regularly jails, exiles or just kills his opposition. Which is exactly what happened to Alexei Navanly.
Carlson is not a journalist. He’s a tool that autocrats and racists use to make themselves look better to a national audience. Carlson knows this and gladly participates and we are all worse for it.