Steve Hayes and Jonah Goldberg step down, citing Patriot Purge’s promotion of conspiracy theories about the January 6th Capitol attack.
Two prominent Fox News contributors, Steve Hayes and Jonah Goldberg, have resigned from the network in protest over the airing of Tucker Carlson’s controversial documentary Patriot Purge, which explores conspiracy theories surrounding the deadly Capitol attack on January 6, 2021. In an open letter, the pair expressed their dissatisfaction with how the series was promoted on Fox News despite being streamed on Fox Nation, the network’s digital platform.
The three-part series, hosted by Carlson, has been criticized for its baseless claims and distortions regarding the events of the Capitol insurrection. According to Hayes and Goldberg, the documentary presents itself as an exposé but instead is filled with “incoherent conspiracy-mongering,” “factual inaccuracies,” and manipulative imagery. The two former writers for The Weekly Standard and National Review stated that the series was an example of Fox News’ shift toward supporting misleading narratives, particularly those amplified by former President Donald Trump.
Both Hayes and Goldberg had initially hoped that Fox News could maintain journalistic integrity and distance itself from Trump’s influence, but they expressed disillusionment with the direction the network has taken. They noted that the airing of Patriot Purge was just one of many examples of Fox opinion hosts promoting false claims and conspiracies in service of the former president. In their resignation letter, they lamented the loss of independence within the network and indicated that the release of this documentary marked a tipping point for them, signaling that any hope of course correction had evaporated.
Goldberg further told The New York Times that the release of the documentary marked a turning point for him, stating, “The Patriot Purge thing meant: OK, we hit the iceberg now, and I can’t do the rationalizations anymore.”
