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New York (CNN) The far-right Tucker Carlson announced Tuesday that he will launch his program on Twitter, which he hailed as the world’s only remaining major forum for free speech after Fox News fired him late last month.
Carlson posted the ad in A Video Elon Musk’s discovery last year was posted on a social media site. Twitter has become a chaotic platform in recent months as the traditional press has been attacked by the billionaire.
Carlson said, “Speech is a basic prerequisite for democracy. That’s why it’s enshrined in our first constitutional amendment. “Unsurprisingly, until tonight, there weren’t many forums left that allowed free speech. The last big one left … is Twitter.”
In his promotional video, Carlson demonized the news media for often excluding facts that hurt journalists from their narratives. In the past year alone, Musk has censored Twitter, including banning several prominent journalists from the site.
Although Carlson doesn’t directly address the sudden firing from Fox News in the video, he strongly references it.
“The best you can hope for in the news business at this point is the freedom to tell the real truth. But there are always limits,” Carlson said. “And if you hit those limits enough, you know you’re going to get fired. That’s not a guess, that’s a fact.”
The Wall Street Journal, which is controlled by Fox Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch, reported last month that Carlson’s deal with Fox News was worth about $20 million a year. Carlson is expected to be paid in full, according to the newspaper.
His move to launch a show on Twitter ultimately jeopardizes receiving that money. A spokesperson for Fox Corp. could not immediately be reached for comment on the matter.
But Carlson’s decision to launch the show on Twitter shows his desire to stay in both media and politics. He played a prominent role when he held the 8 pm ET slot on Fox News.
Outside of former President Donald Trump, Carlson has been arguably the most powerful voice in the Republican Party, fearing the wrath of lawmakers and appearing on his show with a symbolic arrow in his foot.
Carlson achieved that effect by posting high standards. But his monster viewership has been achieved by circulating anti-immigrant rhetoric, promoting false conspiracy theories and white nationalist talking points.
But Fox News struggled to fill the void left by Carlson. Not only did the network’s ratings fall sharply in the all-important 8 p.m. hour after its debut, but they weakened throughout prime time. The right-wing channel has posted some of its lowest ratings in recent weeks since before the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
For Twitter, the addition of Carlson’s show is unsurprising.
Musk has helped increase the visibility of far-right figures on the platform by engaging with their tweets from his personal account and allowing them to pay for Twitter Blue accounts, which provide them with “verified” Blue checks and are popular within. search. Musk urged his millions of followers to vote Republican, and Carlson appeared on his Fox show shortly before his release.
Musk has reinstated the accounts of many users who were previously banned for violating the platform’s rules; Including right-wing figures like Trump and numerous white supremacists and neo-Nazis.
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