New York (AFP)
The New York Post's murderous columns, call for the resignation of the Wall Street Journal, open criticism of the president on Fox News: the American media of Rupert Murdoch's empire are all attacking Donald Trump for the first time, everything by seeking to preserve its supporters and spare their audience.
Since the evening of the presidential election, the beginning of a rupture had taken place, at least in the eyes of thousands of supporters of the outgoing president, who accused Fox News of having abandoned him.
But the conservative editorial writers of the news channel, like those of the New York Post or the Wall Street Journal, all controlled by the magnate Rupert Murdoch, had remained loyal to him, tirelessly relaying his thesis of large-scale electoral fraud.
The front has collapsed like never before since 2016, after the President's supporters entered the Capitol precinct on Wednesday, "a day of infamy" for which "Trump is responsible," according to Post columnist Michael Goodwin.
"This week probably marks the end of 'Donald Trump' as a serious political figure," the Wall Street Journal opinion page officials wrote.
"It would be better for everyone, including him, if he left," right now.
"They are afraid Trump has gone too far," said Mark Feldstein, a journalism professor at the University of Maryland.
"So they put some distance between him and them."
“They've created a Frankenstein-worthy monster and they just have to go after themselves,” he says.
Even Tucker Carlson, the second most watched presenter in the United States, accused Thursday night on Fox News the president of having "dangerously encouraged" his flock to walk on the Capitol.
But Rupert Murdoch "seeks both to distance himself and not to offend the public" of the president, analyzes Matt Jordan, professor of media at Penn State University.
"It's a fun dance" in which the mainstream conservative media are therefore engaged.
"We always agree with his ideas," explained Tucker Carlson, in a balancing act of which he has the secret, "but at some point, (...) does a single president deserve all this time and attention? "
- A question of money -
After the historic events of Wednesday, "it is possible that (Trump) may lose some support, but his base has remained loyal to him since 2016" despite scandals and controversies, underlines Jon Marshall, professor at Northwestern University.
"They want these viewers", insists Mark Feldstein.
"It's not about ideology, it's about money, audience, profits."
The maneuver is all the more delicate for Fox News as a swarm of small players, from Newsmax to One America News Network (OAN), are grabbing market share, by making the pro-Trump outbid.
Since the election, she has been regularly beaten by CNN, which she trampled on for years.
With the nomination of Joe Biden, Jon Marshall expects an editorial reorientation in favor of "attacks on the Democrats", to "crystallize the anger" of the conservatives.
In unison, the three Fox News superstars, Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham, have already embarked on this path, accusing Democrats of instrumentalizing Wednesday's incidents to demonize the Republican electorate.
“Biden's unity speech was a scam from the start,” Laura Ingraham said Thursday night.
For her, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris "send the signal" for a "period of retaliation against supporters of President Trump."
But, warns Mark Feldstein, "Biden promises to be pretty boring," and news channels "are going to be tempted to give Trump a lot more airtime than he deserves, including after he leaves. the Presidency".
And this equation isn't just limited to Fox News.
CNN and MSNBC, its two big competitors, decidedly more to the left, will "have even more trouble" after January 20, announces Jon Marshall.
CNN thus recorded the best audience in its history Wednesday.
Could the Biden presidency be an opportunity for coverage more focused on issues and major public policy issues than on tweets and other controversies?
"Television has never been good at covering serious political issues, and that is not going to change now," book, uncompromisingly, Mr. Feldstein.
"TV is good about emotion, conflict, personalities. That's why Trump was such nectar to her."
© 2021 AFP