Tucker Carlson learns limits of being 'authentic'

+ impact of 'stand your ground' laws; U.S.-South Korea nuclear deal US Edition - Today's top story: Tucker Carlson's departure and Fox News' expensive legal woes show the problem with faking 'authenticity' [View in browser]( US Edition | 27 April 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( I grew up watching television news delivered by professional men in jackets and ties who spoke soberly in measured tones and rarely, if ever, let on what they thought or felt. (That’ll tell you how old I am.) Tucker Carlson was not like that. Whatever you thought of him – a truth-telling messiah or a lie-spouting devil – Carlson, who got fired this week by his employer, Fox News, had a so-called news show in which he turned the objective, aloof newsman model not just on its head. He threw it out the window. And that, [writes communications scholar Jacob L. Nelson](, is how Fox’s star broadcasters, including and especially Carlson, found enormous success. They embraced “an authenticity-as-a-form-of-populism approach,” Nelson writes. “They presented themselves as more ‘real’ than the ‘out-of-touch elites’ at other news organizations.” That populist authenticity may not have delivered actual, factual news, but it sure delivered ratings and revenue. Nelson notes that in the end, Fox – including Carlson – became trapped by what its audience wanted, which was lies about the 2020 election. That just cost the network a $787.5 million settlement in a defamation case – a case that led, quite possibly, to revelations that cost Carlson his job. Naomi Schalit Democracy Editor Fox News Host Tucker Carlson speaks during the 2022 Fox Nation Patriot Awards on Nov. 17, 2022, in Hollywood, Fla. Jason Koerner/Getty Images [Tucker Carlson’s departure and Fox News’ expensive legal woes show the problem with faking ‘authenticity’]( Jacob L. Nelson, University of Utah Tucker Carlson and his employer, Fox News, had an incredible understanding of what their audience wants: a kind of authenticity that is not genuine but instead manipulative. ‘Our machines have now been running for 70. or 80. years,’ an old Thomas Jefferson, right, wrote to an even older John Adams, left. Photo12/Universal Images Group via Getty Images [80 is different in 2023 than in 1776 – but even back then, a grizzled Franklin led alongside a young Hamilton]( Maurizio Valsania, Università di Torino Americans have long nurtured mixed feelings about age and aged leaders. Yet during the country’s founding, a young America admired venerable old sages. U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, a Republican from South Carolina, speaks during an event at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. KC McGinnis/The Washington Post via Getty Images [For Republican presidential hopefuls, Iowa is still the first political beauty contest]( Steffen W. Schmidt, Iowa State University Democrats may have pushed Iowa out of the early-state presidential nominating lineup, but Republicans are sticking with Iowa first. [US-South Korea nuclear weapons deal – what you need to know]( Sung-Yoon Lee, Tufts University The ‘Washington Declaration’ unveiled during the state visit by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol gives Seoul a greater role in coordinating a nuclear response strategy. [Genocide resisters, long overlooked by history, step into the spotlight]( Nareg Seferian, Virginia Tech Recent studies on mass violence have turned the spotlight on the resilience of targeted individuals and communities. [‘Stand your ground’ laws empower armed citizens to defend property with violence – a simple mistake can get you shot, or killed]( Caroline Light, Harvard University Laws shielding from prosecution those who kill and maim citing self-defense have spread across the states and may be fueling a ‘shoot now, think later’ mindset among homeowners. [Black students in Washington state played key role in the Civil Rights Movement, new book states]( Marc Arsell Robinson, California State University, San Bernardino Washington isn’t a state that typically comes to mind in discussions about student-led protests from the Civil Rights Movement. A Black history professor seeks to change that with a new book. [The law often shields police officers from accountability – and reinforces policing that harms Black people, homeless people and the mentally ill]( Rashad Shabazz, Arizona State University Shielding police from accountability can only lead to more brutality, misconduct – and multimillion-dollar settlements. [Biden’s coronation no-show is no snub – more telling is whom he sends to King Charles’ big day]( Arianne Chernock, Boston University No US president has ever attended a British royal coronation – but history shows that they signal intent by whom they choose to go in their stead. - [The Supreme Court rules mifepristone can remain available – here’s how 2 conflicting federal court decisions led to this point]( Naomi Cahn, University of Virginia; Sonia Suter, George Washington University Many people wonder how courts can rule in contradictory ways. But it happens relatively frequently. - [The invasion of Iraq defined US’ foreign relations – but in popular Iraqi literature, the war is just a piece of the country’s complex history]( Renee Ragin Randall, University of Michigan The short stories of modern Iraqi writers Hassan Blasim and Diaa Jubaili show that the 2003 invasion and subsequent war in Iraq are not at the heart of contemporary Iraqi literature. - [Saving broadcasting’s past for the future – archivists are working to capture not just tapes of TV and radio but the experience of tuning in together]( Michael J. Socolow, University of Maine Scholars, preservationists, archivists, museum educators and curators, fans and the public are meeting in late April in the nation’s capital to figure out how to preserve broadcasting’s history. - [In centennial year, Turkish voters will choose between Erdoğan’s conservative path and the founder’s modernist vision]( Ahmet T. Kuru, San Diego State University There’s a lot at stake in the May 14 presidential election. Will Turkey continue to be ruled by a populist Islamist government or return to a path of secular democratization? Like this newsletter? You might be interested in our other weekly emails: [Science Editors' Picks]( • [This Week in Religion]( • [Weekly Highlights]( [The Conversation]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation]( 303 Wyman Street, Suite 300 Waltham, MA 02451 [Forward to a friend]( • [Unsubscribe](