Fox contributor pushes Hurricane Helene misinformation about migrants after Fox reporter obtained House GOP memo noting it is false
Written by Casey Wexler
Published
Since the devastation of Hurricane Helene, Fox News has been spreading misinformation and lies about FEMA’s disaster relief response, including the false claim that FEMA’s budget for hurricane relief was diverted to migrants.
On October 8, Fox received a fact sheet from Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee about Helene relief. Fox correspondent Chad Pergram tweeted that the sheet stated “there is ‘no funding connection between’ the migrant shelter program and the Disaster Relief Fund.”
The next day Fox News contributor Miranda Devine nevertheless continued to push the false claim, stating, "FEMA was handing out money to illegal migrants instead of keeping it for hurricane victims.” The Fox & Friends hosts did not push back at all. Additionally, Fox personalities have begun mocking the idea that the network is spreading disinformation.
Citation From the October 9, 2024, edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends
STEVE DOOCY (CO-HOST): That's what the White House is doing now. They’re saying anything they don't like is oftentimes misinformation or disinformation, even though Mayorkas himself came out a couple of days ago and said, “You know what? We don't have — after Helene — we don't have enough money for the rest of hurricane season.” Peter's question was not disinformation or misinformation. That was just a fact.
MIRANDA DEVINE (CONTRIBUTOR): It was. But it shows you how damaging politically they think their botched response to Hurricane Helene has been. They have brought out the big guns, which is, of course, their accusation that anyone making politically damaging statements to them is peddling misinformation. I'm really surprised that they didn't wheel out the old one that they used on the laptop from hell, which is Russian disinformation. This is just their go-to when they’re in trouble. And it’s quite sinister given the threats that both Kamala Harris and Tim Walz have made about free speech. They say that there’s no guarantee to free speech when it comes to what they deem to be misinformation or disinformation. They will bring down the heavy hammer of censorship.
DOOCY: Indeed. So this week they are using disinformation, misinformation. I remember it was last month after the — you know, the guy was in the hedge line, at in the tree line, down at Trump National — and Peter Doocy asked Karine Jean-Pierre about how many assassination attempts do there have to be on the former president before you people stop calling him a threat? And she said that question was dangerous. It's not a dangerous question. They were using that word. And so, it's just one of those things. They are trying to shut people down by saying “Oh, you're dangerous. You are spreading misinformation, mister.”
DEVINE: Yes, look, it is a threat to journalism. It’s a threat to free speech. And it’s one that they have freely wielded before. We have seen them threaten social media, and social media, therefore, has censored people — whether it's about Covid-19 or rude memes about the first lady or Hunter Biden's laptop. They’ve censored American speech, and now what they're saying is: If you dare raise any embarrassing fact, like the fact that FEMA was handing out money to illegal migrants instead of keeping it for hurricane victims. Like the fact that Peter — that Peter Doocy — mentioned in that question that Karine Jean-Pierre labeled misinformation, which was that the administration has no problem bringing out $160 million to Lebanon for humanitarian relief but says it needs to go to Congress to give hurricane victims relief. And it's all about, you know, this idea that Biden and Harris put America last. And that is why it’s so dangerous to them politically.