Fox News' Howard Kurtz says the network's 'wannabe dictator' chyron 'went too far'
Howard Kurtz, host of Fox News’s “Media Buzz,” acknowledged the controversy around a Fox News chyron that called President Biden a “wannabe dictator” this past week, saying the banner “went too far.”
In a “Media Buzz” segment Sunday that included quick summaries of some of the week’s top stories, Kurtz included a brief description of the Fox News banner controversy, which he delivered to the audience as a straight news story, before pivoting to the next topic.
“Fox News briefly put up a banner that went too far on the day of Donald Trump’s arraignment, referring to President Biden. ‘Wannabe dictator speaks at White House after having his political rival arrested.’ Fox said in a statement, ‘The chyron was taken down immediately and was addressed,’” Kurtz said on air Sunday.
The chyron garnered significant attention this past week. The chyron aired shortly before 9 p.m. on the day of former President Trump’s arraignment, and it was displayed with a split-screen of Trump and Biden, before the network removed the banner.
Trump was indicted on 37 criminal counts related to his handling of classified documents. He is accused of obstruction, willful retention of national defense information, and making false statements to the FBI. He pleaded not guilty to all charges. He was arraigned in court in Miami on Tuesday.