Michael Moore Predicted The Demise of Fox News in 2004. In 2019, Fox News Received Record Viewership
Jose Nino
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For those with short-term memory, Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 seemed like it was released eons ago.
In this documentary film, Moore took shots at then President George W. Bush and his controversial foreign policy.
Back in 2004, Moore went on record during the Cannes Film Festival—when his film won the Palme d’ Or— and boldly stated that “A significant portion of the proceeds of “Fahrenheit 9/11″ will go toward convincing every thinking American to turn off the Fox News Channel. This will be my contribution to making America a better place. I hope they enjoy this year, their last year with actual viewers.”
Moore’s film did quite well by generating $222.4 million on a $6 million budget.
However, does Moore’s prediction about Fox News hold up today?
A recent report from Forbes indicates otherwise.
According to data from Nielsen, Fox News just had its highest-rated year in prime time during the network’s 23-year history. In 2019, it had a total average audience of 2.5 million viewers.
“Once again, Fox News Channel’s team of leading journalists and opinion hosts have led the network to a record-breaking ratings year as the number one network in all of cable for the fourth consecutive year,” said Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott and Fox News Media President and Executive Editor Jay Wallace in a joint statement Fox released. “FNC continues to exert its dominance in cable television as the country experiences what may be one of the most fervent news cycles in history and we are proud to provide our audience with news and opinion they can trust across a variety of programming.”
Fox increased its prime-time ratings by 2 percent in the last year. On the other hand, CNN and MSNBC witnessed declines. CNN finished in third place with 972,000 views, while the second place MSNBC held a prime-time audience of 1.753 million viewers. CNN’s ratings dropped 2 percent, while MSNBC’s dropped by 3 percent.
Sean Hannity led the way in 2019 for the third year in a row with an average audience of 3.3 million viewers.
Populist all-star commentator Tucker Carlson took second place with an average audience of 3.032 million viewers.
Overall, Fox News had seven of the top ten highest-rated cable news programs.
Despite Moore’s bold claims, Fox News has held up quite well.
Moore is one of the poster boys for political correctness and has made a lucrative career pushing leftist causes.
Although Fox’s content may leave a lot to be desired for some America First advocates, its continued relevance shows that people still desire an alternative to leftist media.
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