Fox News’ hypocrisy is on full display in its outraged coverage of President Joe Biden’s announcement yesterday that large businesses would now be required to have their workers either be vaccinated or undergo weekly testing for COVID-19 — something that Fox News has already been doing for months.
Previously, the network had attacked Biden for instituting a similar policy for the federal workforce. But it was also first reported two months ago that Fox News has used an internal program called the “Fox Clear Pass,” in which employees who provide their proof of vaccination could bypass daily health screenings — a policy that stands in stark contrast to the network’s relentless fearmongering about vaccine passports. And three weeks ago, Fox employees were further required to all upload their vaccination status into a human resources database.
Meanwhile, the network’s content has relentlessly undermined vaccination efforts, celebrated people who refuse to take the vaccines, and even encouraged the use of counterfeit vaccination cards — all acts that Fox’s own human resources department would likely frown upon.
Biden announced in his speech Thursday that over 175 million Americans are now fully protected by the vaccine, “Many of us are frustrated with the nearly 80 million Americans who are still not vaccinated, even though the vaccine is safe, effective, and free.” He also noted that his policy lined up with what a certain company has been doing for its own workforce.
“Some of the biggest companies are already requiring this,” Biden said. “United Airlines, Disney, Tysons Food, and even Fox News.”
But faced with the choice of either acknowledging that fact, or stirring up the fringe who continue to refuse safe, effective vaccines and even the most basic public health measures, Fox News has chosen the latter.
On Thursday night’s edition of Fox News Primetime, rotating host Rachel Campos-Duffy bemoaned that Americans have been compliant for too long, and asked Fox News contributor Katie Pavlich whether Americans would start to “fight back” against these requirements. Neither of the two commentators acknowledged that they work for a network that has already been practicing these rules, which they have both presumably been “compliant” with in one manner or another.