Bad news this week for Trump – but Fox viewers might have missed it | Margaret Sullivan
Fox News significantly downplayed two major stories regarding Donald Trump, including a Supreme Court ruling against his mail-in ballot restrictions and a ProPublica report on Russian funding for his son's wedding. The network's limited coverage of these issues contrasts with the extensive attention they received from other mainstream media outlets. Critics argue that Fox prioritizes maintaining its political base and pleasing Trump over providing balanced reporting on potential corruption.
- ▪The Supreme Court rejected Donald Trump's attempted restrictions on mail-in ballots, a development that Fox News delayed reporting until late in the evening.
- ▪ProPublica revealed that a Russian oligarch financed hundreds of thousands of dollars for Donald Trump Jr.'s wedding, a story that received only one minute of airtime on Fox News.
- ▪Media Matters reported that Fox News hosts largely ignored these stories in favor of content that aligns with their audience's preferences and Trump's narrative.
- ▪A recent Axios poll indicates that while 53% of Americans describe Trump as corrupt, 23% do not, suggesting a disconnect between public perception and the information provided by certain news sources.
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| Original publisher | The Guardian — US |
| Canonical URL | https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/sep/17/fox-news-trump |
| Publication time | Thu, 17 Sep 2026 12:00:49 GMT |
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‘The network often looks the other way when news comes along that might disturb its viewers.’ Photograph: Yuki Iwamura/APView image in fullscreen‘The network often looks the other way when news comes along that might disturb its viewers.’ Photograph: Yuki Iwamura/APOpinionFox NewsBad news this week for Trump – but Fox viewers might have missed itMargaret SullivanThe network continues to cater to its presidential ‘audience of one’, downplaying his supreme court loss and moreThu 17 Sep 2026 08.00 EDTLast modified on Thu 17 Sep 2026 08.02 EDTShareTwo breaking stories roiled US politics this week and immediately got big play on most news sites.The supreme court surprisingly rejected – for now – Donald Trump’s attempted restrictions on mail-in ballots, a blow to Republicans in the upcoming…
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