The Democratic National Committee has denied Fox News the right to host presidential primary debates, causing the network to call out for the party to reconsider this decision, Fox News informed.
“We hope the DNC will reconsider its decision to bar Chris Wallace, Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, all of whom embody the ultimate journalistic integrity and professionalism, from moderating a Democratic presidential debate. They’re the best debate team in the business and they offer candidates an important opportunity to make their case to the largest TV news audience in America, which includes many persuadable voters,” Fox News Senior Vice President Bill Sammon said in a statement.
Before the decision, the DNC Chairman Tom Perez revealed that the party will prohibit the primary debates to be hosted by Fox News, stating that they would not be “fair and neutral” forums for the candidates.
“I believe that a key pathway to victory is to continue to expand our electorate and reach all voters,” Perez said in a statement to The Washington Post that cited a critical article in The New Yorker. “That is why I have made it a priority to talk to a broad array of potential media partners, including Fox News. Recent reporting in the New Yorker on the inappropriate relationship between President Trump, his administration and Fox News has led me to conclude that the network is not in a position to host a fair and neutral debate for our candidates. Therefore, Fox News will not serve as a media partner for the 2020 Democratic primary debates.”
While some Fox News Channel opinion hosts have been criticized for ties to the Trump administration, Wallace, Baier and MacCallum are anchors from the news division who have been greeted for their handling of past debates. In 2016, Wallace moderated a presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
“That’s really a shame. When it comes to fairness – our news product speaks for itself. We will continue to cover this 2020 race fairly & will continue to invite Democrats- Republicans & Independents on to talk about key issues & substance with our very large viewing audience,” Baier tweeted Wednesday, reacting to the DNC’s decision.
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