(Jacob Bruns, Headline USA) Traditionally conservative cable news station Fox News intends to try to target centrists and leftists at this year’s Democratic National Convention, Axios reported.
Fox News anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum have been among the on-air talent in attendance at the DNC this year, interviewing major Democratic candidates and covering the events.
When asked about the coverage, Baier told reporters that the “fair and balanced” news network was making a concerted effort to appeal to a broader audience.
“I think if you build it, they will come,” Baier said. “And independents, Democrats are coming to our shows more and more.”
To some degree, Baier is right already. According a recent poll, Fox’s viewership is split 54% Republican, 22% Democrat and 28% independent.
Nonetheless, the overt push runs the risk of putting off its most loyal audience. During the 2020 election, the network drew heavy criticism—and even calls for a boycott—after a premature call on Arizona fueled suspicion that it was trying to undermine Republican President Donald Trump.
Fox’s record among conservatives has remained spotty since then, particularly after it fired several of its most popular hosts—including primetime star Tucker Carlson—and mysteriously settled a $787 million defamation suit with Dominion Voting Systems, all within a matter of weeks.
The rumors that hedge-fund company BlackRock may be using a 7% share of the company’s stock to put ESG pressure on Fox have persevered, particularly with its sympathetic coverage of Kamala Harris’s pop-up campaign.
Some speculate that former founding CEO Rupert Murdoch—who recently retired from his day to day operations—may have an interest in the Biden administration’s nation-building venture in Ukraine, which Trump—the GOP nominee for his third consecutive election cycle—and current running-mate JD Vance both oppose.
While Murdoch had lobbied Trump to select North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Trump’s choice of Vance was reportedly influenced heavily by Carlson.
Despite the risks involved, network execs such as Jessica Ketner, Fox’s vice president for media relations, seemed gung-ho about the prospect of a centrist shift.
In past years, Axios noted, Fox has managed to maintain or grow its audience as left-leaning outlets—including CNN and NBC—continue to announce mass layoffs and austerity measures, much to the chagrin of their employees.
Furthermore, Fox’s appeal comes even as it has already secured a massive audience, which the station has used to draw more politicians into interviews and appearances.
“Most politicians want to go where the eyeballs are,” Baier said. “They realize the power of reaching especially in swing states where we have a dominant viewing audience.”
The move may also be a decision by Fox to jockey for hosting a proposed debate between Trump and Harris in October.
According to McCallum, Fox News is in the best position of any cable news station to take advantage of big events and seek a broad audience.
“We’re seeing that when there are big news nights, we’re getting tuned in from all corners,” she noted. “And so I think that now in the cable news landscape when something big is happening, people turn on Fox.”
Headline USA’s Ben Sellers contributed to this report.
