I get a kick out of all the media coverage of the ever-expanding scandal involving the fraud in the Minnesota welfare and child care systems. The left-wing corporate media has either ignored it or done pieces explaining how Governor Tim Walz is “fighting to fix” it. Of course, if he were a Republican, all the stories would be about whether or not he’s incompetent or corrupt, but just like his lies about his military service, Fraudie Murphy gets a pass because he’s a Democrat.
You’d think conservative media would be all over this story, as it is a major scandal, but the “big guy” has been incredibly lazy on the topic, too. Watching Fox over the holiday, all the guest hosts talked about it, but they used the exact same reporting package over and over, with really nothing original added. It was all Nick Shirley’s work warmed over as they’d done it.
Worst was how they each said Walz and Democrats had this done right under their noses. I don’t know if those fill-in hosts know this or not, but Tim Walz ran for Vice President in 2024, and while Republicans clearly did a horrible job in vetting his record in Minnesota since they didn’t discover this, so did Fox.
Honestly, they are the biggest game in town when it comes to media on the right. A multi-billion-dollar corporation with worldwide resources that at least calls itself a “news” outlet. Where were they?
I was speaking a few years ago with someone who was then a Fox host, someone I knew, and I asked why they’d fallen into the trap of having the exact same people on their show all the time. I know a lot of these people and they have no special knowledge of the subject they opine about, and many are pretty stupid, but they can read an AP story and give their opinion about it in a way that makes it seem like they know what they’re talking about, and in television “news,” that’s enough.
Recommended
I asked why, a block from Capitol Hill, they didn’t have more of their journalists on the show, rather than uninformed opinion people. The response surprised me. They said, “We don’t have very many journalists on staff.”
I thought that was insane; it’s a massive company, but we talked and it was true. They have a couple of people on the Hill and the White House, a couple of floaters, one in each region of the country and a few around the world – Europe, the Middle East – and that’s about it. There is no one digging into anything, and not just a Fox, but all of them.
They all go where the news happens – dispatching someone to swoop in and pretend they were doing the job all along – but they don’t break it themselves. I cite Fox because people assume they are just like NBC News, but they are not. NBC has resources everywhere, plus its affiliates. Fox has affiliates too; they just don’t use them as effectively.
They’re all, I suppose, effective when a natural disaster or tragedy strikes, but in uncovering actual news beyond that, they all suck. All Nick Shirley did was look and have the balls to ask questions. Why didn’t any of these major corporations that win awards for journalism and congratulate themselves on how good they are at their jobs do that? Walz was running for VP. Shouldn’t SOMEONE have looked into what he actually did as Governor?
A kid with his phone did, and look what he found.
I don’t expect smaller websites with a DC focus to dig into everything Democrats are doing across the country, but the biggest game in town sure as hell should. Or maybe they should remove the “News” part from their name, because they’re not really in that business, and someone else should come along and pick up that mantle.
Seriously, watch their flagship 6:00 newscast, which I enjoy, and notice how many stories start off with something like, “The Washington Post is reporting tonight…” Why didn’t they discover it?
Their website, as popular as it is, mostly aggregates the work of others, sometimes citing it, but never linking to any of it. I challenge you to find an external link on their website – one that leads you anywhere except to another page of theirs. They don’t exist anymore.
It’s a business, I get it, but if you’re stroking your own ego over being in the news business, you should probably try doing some news. Plus, we could use an actual news outlet with the resources of Fox.
If they won’t do it, hopefully someone else will. Actually, hopefully someone else will anyway – a little competition would be good for everyone, especially the American public in desperate need of non-left-wing information and investigations. Wouldn’t that be a great way to spend 2026?
Derek Hunter is the host of the Derek Hunter Show on WMAL in Washington, DC, and has a free daily podcast (subscribe!) podcast and author of the book, Outrage, INC., which exposes how liberals use fear and hatred to manipulate the masses, and host of the weekly “Week in F*cking Review” podcast where the news is spoken about the way it deserves to be. Follow him on Twitter at @DerekAHunter.
Editor’s Note: Do you enjoy Townhall’s conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.
Join Townhall VIP and use promo code MERRY74 to get 74% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member