Why so quiet, Fox News?
Posted by By Erik Wemple | May 24, 2016 | FEATURED, POLITICAL OPINION, TRUMP PRESIDENCY | 0 |
Fox News moderators Megyn Kelly, right, and Chris Wallace at the GOP debate in Cleveland on Aug. 6. (John Minchillo/Associated Press)
Megyn Kelly was all over the media in the weeks leading up to the debut of her special, "Megyn Kelly Presents," one week ago on Fox broadcasting network. She told the New York Times that she was "not a political person"; she told "Fox & Friends" how "intriguing" was Donald Trump; she told Stephen Colbert about Trump's whole "counterpunch" mentality; she told The Post all about her meeting with Trump at his office, which led to her interview with the mogul on last Tuesday night's special.
That's a lot of media hits for Fox News and Megyn Kelly.
Now the Erik Wemple Blog wants a single answer from Kelly and Fox News. Why won't she tell Fox News viewers her side of the Trump story before they're forced to make a decision on the next president? That question arose from the generously panned "Megyn Kelly Presents." After her interviews with Trump and other people, Kelly made the following announcement: "In addition to the 'Kelly File,' I've been working on a project: a book, which I'm unveiling right now. It's called 'Settle for More,' " said Kelly. "For the first time, I'll speak openly about my year with Donald Trump. You can preorder it now wherever books are sold." The book is slated to hit bookshelves on Nov. 15, one safe week after the election.
That declaration from Kelly signaled two things: 1. She didn't "speak openly" about her year with Donald Trump in her interview with Donald Trump. 2. She's preparing to deny her viewers information that they might find useful on Nov. 8, a critical omission considering that online abuse associated with Trump has become a theme of this election season.
Tina Andreadis, a spokeswoman for HarperCollins, the book's publisher, tells the Erik Wemple Blog, "The book is as she says — it is her memoir, it talks about her life. The arc of her life and career. Yes, she will talk about Trump but the book isn't about Megyn Kelly and Donald Trump."
Fair enough. Now for Fox News's explanation. What's the rationale for the face of the network sitting on an exclusive about the presumptive Republican nominee? Silence. Despite attempt after attempt over the past week, the Erik Wemple Blog has failed to pry an on-the-record response from Fox News. Nothing.
By the time this account reaches the public, it will be well-aged; the New York Times has reported that Kelly drafted the Trump section of the book in the middle of this month.
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