Fox News host Harris Faulkner drew condemnation from some fans of the network on Wednesday when she said the company will be forced to incorporate the left’s diversity, equity and inclusion agenda into its business model.
The network is already on thin ice with many current viewers and lost almost half its audience after executives made the decision to oust host Tucker Carlson in April.
More viewers vowed to leave for good after Faulkner said on “Outnumbered” that Fox News might no longer have a choice but to let identity politics guide its business practices.
As she discussed the current backlash against Chick-fil-A, Faulkner laid no blame on the company — a longtime favorite of Christians and conservatives — for its public commitment to DEI.
The chain has had a vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion — Erick McReynolds — for nearly two years.
But his position and the company’s stance on hiring based on race, gender and sexuality have gotten attention now as Americans have watched formerly great corporations take “wokeness” way too far.
Per Faulkner, Chick-fil-A had no choice but to paint itself as a champion of DEI policies. She also said Fox News might be next.
“Many states are mandating it now,” she told viewers of DEI policies. “I mean, here at Fox — other corporations — there will be things they’re gonna have to change because the state of New York requires it.”
Her comments begin about 2:00 in the video below:
Of course, Fox News does have a choice in the matter.
The company has been the go-to network for conservatives since the late 1990s but has stayed entrenched in New York City since its founding.
Throughout the city’s struggles with crime and in spite of its standing as a one-party sanctuary city that overtaxes people and companies, Fox News arguably has shown more loyalty to New York than it has to viewers.
One person who saw the clip of Faulkner on Twitter posed an obvious question:
Why not just leave NY?
— Tim (@Tim80151918) May 31, 2023
Is Fox News just in New York to be close to the action, or has its mask as just another mainstream media grift slipped off?
Many people sounded off on social media about the prospect of Fox News becoming more “woke” than it already is.
DEI is really DIE.
— pmts.eth (@Doodle2137) May 31, 2023
?goodbye it was great while it lasted and truth prevailed
— No BS Citizen (@MajorJohnB5) May 31, 2023
Unjustly firing Tucker Carlson was 1 foot in the grave for Fox News. Now this will surely sink them as a news organization. No one is going to want to listen to Fox News anymore.
— Florida Forever (@FloridaForever7) May 31, 2023
This is very concerning .. as much as I love Fox .. I’m against all of this and believe we need a firm firm break from Globalization .. it’s killing our country .. if I catch a hint of it on their airwaves I won’t hesitate to switch .. i expect this of msnbc but not from a self…
— CenturionIRM (@CenturionIRM) May 31, 2023
Cable news is a dying business model in a world that is moving more online each and every day.
One thing that kept Fox News on top of its competition for years was that it offered ordinary people a haven to be entertained and informed without being made to feel small for their traditional beliefs.
Many of those people lost a reason to tune in when Carlson was axed without explanation.
Faulkner’s warning that the network soon might have to embrace “woke” policies that needlessly divide people along the lines of skin color and sexuality might have angered some remaining fans.
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But the bad news is Fox News’ parent, Fox Corp., already embraces DEI values, and it does so proudly on its website.
In a section on the company website called “Inclusion,” the company states its mission is to elevate women, black Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans and LGBT “pride.”
“Pride’s mission is to cultivate community among FOX LGBTQ+ colleagues and allies, support causes important to the LGBTQ+ community, and foster a work environment where all FOX LGBTQ+ colleagues feel authentic and professionally supported,” the company promises.
Not only does Fox News reportedly champion gender transitions in the workplace, but its corporate website declares it is dedicated to “causes important to the LGBTQ+ community.”
Faulkner’s warning of the coming wokeness and the reaction to it are a bit late.
That ship has sailed.
CLARIFICATION, June 2, 2023: While CNN’s headquarters nominally remains in Atlanta, the network has moved most of its operations to New York, and its weekday anchors are based there or in Washington, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
An earlier version of this article suggested otherwise.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
