That makes Mr. Hannity the ultimate product of the Fox News Channel that Roger Ailes envisioned when he founded it with Rupert Murdoch 20 years ago, as a defiant answer to what they described as an overwhelmingly liberal mainstream news media that was biased against Republicans. Mr. Hannity was there from the beginning with Mr. Ailes, who was forced out over sexual harassment allegations last month. 
 
 Mr. Hannity’s show has all the trappings of traditional television news — the anchor desk, the graphics and the patina of authority that comes with being part of a news organization that also employs serious-minded journalists like Chris Wallace, Bret Baier and Megyn Kelly. 
 
 But because Mr. Hannity is “not a journalist,” he apparently feels free to work in the full service of his candidate without having to abide by journalism’s general requirements for substantiation and prohibitions against, say, regularly sharing advice with political campaigns. 
 
 So there was Mr. Hannity last week, devoting one of his shows to a town hall-style meeting with Mr. Trump at which his (leading) questions often contained extensive Trumpian talking points — including the debunked claim that Mr. Trump opposed the Iraq invasion. (As BuzzFeed News first reported, Mr. Trump voiced support for the campaign in a 2002 discussion with the radio host Howard Stern.) 
 
 On other days, he has lent his prime-time platform to wild, unsubstantiated accusations that Hillary Clinton is hiding severe health problems. He showed a video of a supposed possible seizure that was in fact a comical gesture Mrs. Clinton was making to reporters, as one of them, The Associated Press’s Lisa Lerer, reported. He also shared a report from the conservative site The Gateway Pundit that a member of Mrs. Clinton’s security detail appeared to be carrying a diazepam syringe, “for patients who experience recurrent seizures.” 
 
 A simple call to the Secret Service spokeswoman Nicole Mainor, as I made on Friday, would have resulted in the answer that the “syringe” was actually a small flashlight. 
 
 People in Mr. Hannity’s audience of 2.5 million who are inclined to believe the health allegations, and who believe the mainstream media are covering for Mrs. Clinton, are unlikely to be impressed by the Secret Service’s explanation. ||||| Fox News chairman Roger Ailes says "the air has been cleared" with Donald Trump. 
 
 "Donald Trump and I spoke today," Ailes said Monday in a statement obtained by CNNMoney. "We discussed our concerns, and I again expressed my confidence in Megyn Kelly. She is a brilliant journalist and I support her 100 percent." 
 
 Ailes continued: "I assured him that we will continue to cover this campaign with fairness & balance. We had a blunt but cordial conversation and the air has been cleared." 
 
 Kelly briefly acknowledged the controversy on her 9 p.m. program -- and then moved on. "I certainly will not apologize for doing good journalism" she said in a pointed response to Trump, who had suggested earlier in the day that she should apologize to him. 
 
 In an interview on CNN's "New Day" Tuesday morning, Trump effusively praised Ailes, calling him "an amazing guy and an amazing executive" and a "very good friend of mine." 
 
 When anchor Chris Cuomo asked, "Was part of the deal that Megyn Kelly wouldn't go on her show and attack you and keep it going?," Trump responded, "No, I don't -- we didn't even discuss that -- it's not about Megyn Kelly." 
 
 He reiterated that "I have no problems" with Fox. 
 
 That's a big change, because Trump had been lambasting Kelly and Fox for days, ever since he was challenged in last week's GOP debate on the network. He says the Fox moderators were unfair to him and that Fox should be "ashamed." 
 
 After Trump started complaining, Fox dramatically ratcheted down its coverage of the candidate. The channel barely covered Trump's criticisms of the moderators Kelly, Chris Wallace and Bret Baier. 
 
 But the motor-mouth Republican candidate began to ease up on his criticism of the channel on Monday morning after Ailes called. 
 
 Trump tweeted that Ailes had assured him of this: "'Trump' will be treated fairly on Fox News." 
 
 Trump added: "His word is always good!" 
 
 Soon after the phone call, Fox confirmed that Trump would be appearing on Tuesday's "Fox & Friends." 
 
 The show's co-host Steve Doocy welcomed him back by saying, "Glad we're friends again." 
 
 Trump will also be on Sean Hannity's 10 p.m. show on Tuesday. 
 
 This was (and is) a true clash of titans. Fox News is the favored network of Republicans, and Trump is the Republican campaign front-runner. 
 
 Trump complained over and over again about what he perceived to be the network's unfair treatment. On Sunday afternoon he tweeted: "It amazes me that other networks seem to treat me so much better than Fox News. I brought them the biggest ratings in history, and I get zip!" 
 
 And he repeatedly and personally insulted Kelly, Fox's 9 p.m. host. 
 
 While Trump is appearing on other Fox shows, it is "highly unlikely" that he will appear with Kelly in the coming days, a source said -- and that's probably an understatement. 
 
 The fight started several days ago when Kelly and the other moderators posed tough questions to Trump and other GOP candidates. 
 
 Kelly was praised for asking Trump about sexist and misogynistic comments from his past. But Trump was furious. 
 
 On Friday night, speaking with CNN's Don Lemon, Trump complained about Kelly's "anger" at the debate by saying there was "blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever." Many people believe he insinuating something about her menstrual cycle, but Trump denied that. 
 
 Kelly and Ailes declined to comment on the "blood" comments. Privately, though, they were disgusted by what Trump said and by the response from some of his supporters. 
 
 There was so much invective directed at her on the Internet that it created security concerns for Fox. 
 
 Kelly did not want to be seen as a victim; rather, she wanted to stay above the fray and be seen as an independent-minded journalist. That's why she barely addressed the controversy on Monday night. 
 
 Roger Ailes just called. He is a great guy & assures me that "Trump" will be treated fairly on @FoxNews. His word is always good! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 10, 2015 
 
 Ailes' role in all this was critical. He was a masterful Republican media consultant for decades before creating Fox News. He is widely regarded as a television genius and a conservative power broker. 
 
 And he has a long history with Trump. Before this current presidential bid, Trump was a weekly guest on the network's morning show "Fox & Friends." 
 
 According to Politico, the two men met for a long lunch in late June, shortly after Trump entered the race. 
 
 So what was Ailes thinking in this case? Ailes has a reputation as a fighter -- someone who has employed his network and his hosts to win many battles over the years. 
 
 Around the office, Ailes has been known to repeat advice from his father: "Don't pick a fight with someone who likes to fight." 
 
 Usually when he invokes it, he means it as a warning to others. 
 
 But this situation was tricky. Why? Because Trump is a fighter, too. 
 
 For now, the two men seem to have struck a fragile truce. 
 
 The Future of Media, a customized magazine
– People are still scratching their heads about what role Roger Ailes might be playing in Donald Trump's campaign, but there's a new player in town: Sean Hannity. Writing for the New York Times, Jim Rutenberg says the Fox News host constantly gives the GOP nominee free PR by "[blaring] Mr. Trump's message relentlessly," and taking a "hyperpoliticized" approach to reporting the news. But Rutenberg says sources—or, as he calls them, "denizens of the hall of mirrors that is Trump World"—have told him Hannity has also been a candidate whisperer, serving as an adviser to Trump for months. And it's not something Hannity completely denies, telling the reporter, "Do I talk to my friend who I've known for years and speak my mind? I can't not speak my mind." Hannity adds that his blatant pro-Trump leanings make him "more honest" than other reporters. "I'm not hiding the fact that I want Donald Trump to be the next president of the United States," he says. But even Hannity concedes that how much his words have impacted Trump is questionable ("nobody controls him"), and he also shrugs off the fact that, as a TV news host, he's gone full out for Trump, flouting what Rutenberg says are "journalism's … prohibitions against, say, regularly sharing advice with political campaigns." "I never claimed to be a journalist," Hannity notes. He also scoffs at rumors he may be trying to set himself up for a plum Trump administration position. Rutenberg's take also includes a brief unpacking of a "possible reckoning" within conservative media overall, born of what conservative radio host Charlie Sykes—who's been having his own battles of conscience lately, per Politico—recently called a "demonizing [of] the liberal mainstream media" for the past two decades.