Decoding Fox News

Podcast #206 - Fox News: Let's Pretend There is No War in Iran

Last week Fox News decided everything was more important than the war between Israel, the United States and Iran. Although the conflict was still the top topic for the week most of the segments dedicated to it included retired military leaders pontificating on possible next moves for the commander-in-chief. While the PBS News Hour showed massive damage to residential buildings and energy infrastructure in Lebanon, Israel and other countries in the Middle East, Fox News featured war correspondents talking into cameras. Anyone watching Fox News would have no idea that civilian targets in Israel, Iran and Lebanon were hit. The violence in Iran was reduced to the same recycled aerial shots from the start of the conflict. The folks at Fox News appeared delighted that Trump decided to “take a break” from a war he seemed to start on a whim. None of us can truly know Trump’s motives for launching the conflict but suddenly the media stopped talking about the ever-worsening scandals surrounding the president and the Epstein files. While Trump’s poll numbers plummeted and gasoline prices skyrocketed Fox News was so desperate for distracting content it manufactured a fake outrage campaign against the actress Sydney Sweeney. Fox News claimed progressives were enraged that Sweeney sent well wishes on social media to her brother in the Air Force along with all troops stationed overseas. Any backlash she did receive didn’t amount to much except for a reason for Fox News to feature scantily clad photos of her. Most of the negative comments I could find online about Sweeney’s post were directed at President Trump or Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu not the actress. The network also hyped-up various crimes committed by undocumented immigrants while Sean Hannity trashed a YouTube children’s performer and complained about the horrors of spring break. Another major topic was the government shutdown over DHS funding which Fox presented as a major fiasco caused by Democratic lawmakers even though Republicans control both houses in congress and the White House. In a sign of true desperation the network featured an extended phone interview with the president on its number one rated show – The Five. In a scene out of a dystopian novel Trump face’s was plastered on a giant screen near the back of the studio as the hosts spoke to a disembodied voice. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe [https://decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Podcast #205 - Fox News is Stumbling Trying to Cheerlead for Trump's War

Much like the seams in any suit jacket worn by the Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth Fox News is barely keeping it together. The network still can’t get its message straight regarding Trump’s disastrous war in Iran. Fox is following the lead of its glorious leader, a man who appeared to act impulsively, when he decided to attack a country of 92 million people with one of the largest militaries in the Middle East. Trump is highly skilled at selling himself, at least to his cultish base of followers, as a powerful leader who can change the world through his force of will. He is a bumbling fool when it comes to getting Americans excited about his flights of fancy - conquering Greenland, seizing the Panama Canal, managing Venezuela, crushing Cuba and destroying the government of Iran. Trump has also failed to excited the masses about some of his economic policies such as broad sweeping tariffs on imports or the acquisition of Venezuelan oil which the president called ‘garbage tar’ [https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/01/garbage-trump-disparage-venezuelan-oil-crude-maduro-tar-horrible-worst-oil/]when he was on the campaign trail. Trump makes no real attempt to sell the need for military conflict to the American public. The average American couldn’t identify Nicolás Maduro, Miguel Díaz-Canel, and Ali Khamenei the deceased Iranian supreme leader or his son Mojtaba Khamenei in a line up. In comparison former president George W. Bush and his administration pitched the Iraq War for nearly a year and a half before the first shots were fired. Saddam Hussein and his sons Uday and Qusay became household names. Their excessive lifestyle and corruption along with their many crimes against humanity and the people of Iran were drilled into the minds of farmers, teachers and factory workers across the country. Bush was also exploiting a grief-stricken country as he falsely connected the horrific terrorist attack on 9/11 to Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq. Trump isn’t helping solidify support for his poorly planned war against Iran as he plays golf on the weekends, holds press conferences with his fawning cabinet members, and accepts meaningless awards meant to stroke his ego. Many Americans view Trump as a puppet of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who has longed to attack Iran for decades. The war is already unpopular and will only get more despised if Trump doesn’t change the perception that he is fighting on behalf of a foreign government’s interest. Fox News doesn’t know which way is up. Grainy aerial shots of trucks and buildings being obliterated aren’t exactly heroic. There are no clear goals or milestones and seemingly no exit strategy to Trump’s latest wild endeavor. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe [https://decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Podcast #204 - Fox News and the Land of Iranian War Make Believe

Fox News twisted itself into knots to convince its audience that a misguided and poorly planned war in the Middle East was a brilliant idea after its glorious leader promised - no new wars. To accomplish the impossible the network’s hosts weaved intricate tapestries of lies filled with invented histories of domestic oil production, gas prices, Trump’s previous attacks on Iran, fairy tales of enriched uranium and a revolution that could start at any moment. Less than a year ago Fox News celebrated the success of Operation Midnight Hammer a military strike that was supposed to obliterate Iran’s ability to create a nuclear weapon. Then with very little warning Trump started a war with Iran under the guise that the regime was about to attack the United States or Israel with the same nuclear weapons he claimed to have wiped off the face of the planet. The zombie nuclear program seems to exist only in Trump’s mind and Fox News is happy to dutifully go along with his delusion. It’s getting more difficult with each passing day for the network to pull this off. Instead of the usual segments meant to keep Fox viewers terrified of undocumented immigrants, woke blue-haired liberals, transgender folks and urban crime the network has gone headfirst into a fabricated reality based on hunches, feelings and the dreams of a deranged narcissist with imperialist fantasies in the throes of dementia. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe [https://decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Podcast #203 - Fox News Coverage of the Iran War is as Chaotic and Muddled as Trump's Mind

Last week on Fox overpaid television personalities tried to fake their way through a war they didn’t understand. As the president changed the reasons he started the military conflict with Iran the folks at Fox struggled to forge a coherent message about it. The propaganda machine sputtered and stumbled. The network kept repeating Trump’s mixed messages: * The war was already over/The war will be over soon/This isn’t a war * High gas prices are a small price to pay for freedom/Gas prices will drop immediately/Americans don’t care about high gas prices * There will be no ground invasion of U.S. troops/There might be a short ground invasion of U.S. troops * We’ve killed their leadership/The new leadership is worse than the old leadership * Trump is the peace president/Trump has started military conflicts with seven different countries * This war will bring long-term peace/Every problem in the world is caused by Iran * Russia is helping Iran/Russia is not a concern/This war is about China * The U.S. is NOT fighting Iran for Israel/Sean Hannity featured a 21 minute interview with Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu When Fox News hosts weren’t talking out of both sides of their mouths, they were promoting Trump’s lies. * Americans overwhelmingly approve of Trump’s decision to attack Iran - several polls [https://www.npr.org/2026/03/11/g-s1-113261/up-first-newsletter-iran-israel-us-georgia-clay-fuller-shawn-harris-second-amendment-rights-national-guard]say otherwise * Iran was capable of a nuclear attack on the U.S. or Israel - despite no evidence supporting this * The people of Iran will rise up and take over their government - so far no such movement has formed. It could be because people don’t want to stage a revolution while being attacked by the U.S. and Israel * Trump’s promises of ‘no new wars’ did not mean he’s an isolationist In the four years I’ve covered Fox News the past week is the weakest I’ve ever seen the network. Instead of a streamlined well thought out strategy to promote the war the network’s messaging is a sloppy mess full of contradictions. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe [https://decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

CHARLIE SYKES AND DECODING FOX NEWS - JULIET JESKE

Thank you Caroline Henry [https://substack.com/profile/36550326-caroline-henry], Harshi Peiris, Ph.D. [https://substack.com/profile/364051188-harshi-peiris-phd], Kiwi Rebel [https://substack.com/profile/43072878-kiwi-rebel], CO [https://substack.com/profile/287851315-co], eric [https://substack.com/profile/4694253-eric], and many others for tuning into my live video with Charlie Sykes [https://substack.com/profile/4298516-charlie-sykes] and Jim Acosta [https://substack.com/profile/36455327-jim-acosta]! Join me for my next live video in the app. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe [https://decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]