Fox News provided a platform for Iowa Senate Candidate Joni Ernst (R) to recite talking points during an interview on the network, but neglected to ask Ernst about any of her controversial policy positions that are garnering widespread criticism across other media outlets.
During the October 10 edition of America's Newsroom, host Martha MacCallum interviewed Ernst about her campaign for the U.S. Senate opposite Democrat Bruce Braley. After highlighting a clip of Ernst's infamous campaign ad featuring the castration of pigs, MacCallum asked Ernst a series of softball questions including:
1. Were you nervous that that ad might backfire on you, Joni?
2. There's a huge ground game, Democratic ground game, very strong in Iowa left over even from President Obama's runs there. How are you going to compete with that?
3. How many undecided voters do you believe are out there right now, and what do you think is the major issue that's on their minds? What are they torn between and how are you going to reach them?
4. So I'm hearing in the local reporting that there's an increase in requests for absentee ballots from Independents and also from Democrats, so there's definitely an effort by your opponent to get out some of these voters who maybe don't usually vote in midterm elections. How does your ground game match up to what they're doing?
Fox's mild string of questions failed to get to the heart of Ernst's controversial platform. While MacCallum's inquiries into Ernst's “ground game” strategies provided the candidate a platform to discuss her own talking points, the interview failed to include the full scope of Ernst's controversial policy positions which have come under fire from other media outlets.
The Washington Post recently criticized the candidate for attempting to “cover her tracks” by backtracking on her previous support for a 'Personhood' amendment -- which would amend the state Constitution, preventing access to preventative health services for women including abortion and various forms of contraception.
ThinkProgress pointed out that Ernst is one of many Republican politicians that admit to “not knowing the science of climate change, but remain happy declaring we need do nothing about it,” and noted that Ernst's climate denial was an issue so important it could cost her the election.
Time highlighted Ernst's promotion of a Glenn Beck-created fringe conspiracy theory about the “United Nations' superseding U.S. laws, states nullifying federal laws and impeaching Obama.”
In a piece asking “How Does This GOP Senate Candidate Keep Getting Away With Such Terrible Gaffes,” Mother Jones noted that Ernst has alleged that Obama has “become a dictator” and may deserve impeachment.
But any discussion of these extreme viewpoints were noticeably missing from today's interview.
Fox News often acts as the communications arm of the GOP, promoting their candidates in the days leading up to elections.