While many middle class Americans are struggling to pay to fill up their cars to get to work, CNN’s Brian Stelter had NPR television critic Eric Deggans on his show Reliable Sources to spread conspiracy theories that Fox News is only reporting on skyrocketing gas prices to prevent Americans from rallying around President Biden while he deals with the crisis in Ukraine.
Stelter did open the segment acknowledging that gas prices are indeed spiking, but true to form, he had to blame Fox News and “right wing media” for exaggerating the rise in gas prices:
Is it possible to have a real conversation about gas prices It’s because too much U.S. media gossip is false and misleading. This week’s record highs are big news and they’re bad enough that they don’t need any exaggeration. There is some exaggeration. Newscasts often focus on outliers and stations that have outrageously high prices in big cities.
Stelter turned then to Oliver Darcy, a senior media reporter who claimed that the gas price coverage and Republicans accusing Biden of the price rises were covered by Stelter. “good politics for Republicans.”
“Eric, are you feeling it in Florida as well?” Stelter asked, turning to NPR television critic Eric Deggans. “How do you read the coverage of high gas prices because it is obviously a real issue?”
Deggans responded that the coverage was for gasoline prices “isn’t new for Fox.” Deggans then accused Fox News of trying to undermine President Biden’s standing with the American people as he tries to unite the country against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine:
This was what they were trying to do back in November, even earlier. Right now, it seems like an effort to kind of prevent the American natural tendency to support the President in times of international crises, particularly when it comes to the Ukraine war, where it appears that there is a lot agreement on how he handles it.
Deggans said that “these rising gas prices are a good way to sort of push back against the good feelings that Biden is engendering without actually taking aim at the Ukraine war or anything that could be sort of perceived as harming that effort.”
Stelter never pushed back against that crazed conspiracy theory, instead Stelter simply nodded his head and told Deggans his theory was “really interesting.”
This segment, which was biased, was approved by ADT Security Services, PrevagenAnd Fisher Investments. This link allows you to contact them about biased information they finance.
Click expand to see the transcript for this segment.
CNN’s Reliable Sources
3/13/2022
Eastern, 11:50:15BRIAN STALTER: Could we have a real conversation about gas prices? It’s because too much U.S. media gossip is false and misleading. This week’s record highs are big news and they’re bad enough that they don’t need any exaggeration. However, there’s some exaggerating going on. The newscasts tend to focus on the “outliers”, stations in some big cities that charge outrageously high rates. This is something Fox does a lot, but it’s also done by other networks. Consider the few L.A. gas stations that have notoriously high prices. It’s not like I visit L.A. every year. Even so, even I can avoid Fairfax and San Vicente stations. Like I said it’s bad enough without showing out of context $7 gas signs.
California is not the only state that shows how much gas prices affect consumers. CNN’s story reveals that Mississippi drivers are paid less than those in Nevada and Mississippi, so they experience higher gasoline prices much more. You will see that the more information you get about gas prices the more difficult it becomes. While right-wingers try to simplify the matter by blaming President Biden for it, New York Times facts show that Republicans wrongly attribute rising gas prices to Biden. Biden celebrated the fact check while he spoke to Democrats. However, it is unlikely that anyone from the right-leaning media would acknowledge this fact check.
(…)
STELTER : It’s also possible to exaggerate. What makes you believe that?
OLIVER DRAY: That’s good political for Republicans. Because people associate how high gas prices are I think, with how well the President is doing, when you have these record gas prices, people say Biden’s not doing well. Fox and other outlets reinforce that opinion, claiming that President Biden is responsible. For example, if he hadn’t suspended or revoked a permit for keystone pipeline, America would be producing more oil and not relying on Russian fuel. When we know that even if he hadn’t done that, the pipeline wouldn’t have been built. So that’s a nonstarter. Fox has all kinds of ways to distort the story so that President Biden is blamed.
(…)
STELTER: Eric are you also feeling the high gas prices in Florida? What do you think of the high gas prices? It is a serious issue.
ERIC DEGGANS – I thought you would say that Florida is a great place to visit. I paid only $60 for my fuel to get there. But what I will say is what’s interesting to me about this is this isn’t new for Fox. In November they tried to establish this connection. At the moment, what it feels like, is an attempt at preventing the normal American tendency to rallies around President Obama when faced with an international crisis. This includes the Ukraine war. There seems to be much agreement on how he handles it. These rising gas prices can be used to counter the positive feelings Biden has created, without taking aim at Ukraine or any other thing that might seem to harm that effort.
STELTER: Alright, that’s interesting, that’s really interesting.
About Post Author
