The Dangerous Misinformation of Tucker Carlson's Jan. 6 Coverage

The Dangerous Misinformation of Tucker Carlson's Jan. 6 Coverage

The Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol building is still a topic of debate, with many people offering their own opinions and interpretations of what happened. Tucker Carlson, a Fox News host, recently shared his own views on the riot and the events that unfolded that day. In this article, we will take a look at why Tucker Carlson's claims about the Jan. 6 riot are false and misleading.

At the outset, it is important to note that Carlson should never have been considered a credible reviewer of video footage from that day. This is because he has promoted conspiracy theories about the riot and Fox News attorneys have admitted that he should not be considered objective. Additionally, messages revealed as part of a defamation lawsuit against the network have shown that the host's private views often do not match his public presentations.

Carlson had been granted access to tens of thousands of hours of video footage from Jan. 6, 2021, and began presenting his "findings" on his show. He made five primary claims, each of which was either incomplete, irrelevant, or inaccurate.

First, he claimed that those in the Capitol that day were mostly peaceful and "meek." Carlson began his review of the footage by stating that the people there were mostly just awestruck tourists. He said, "Hundreds and hundreds of people, possibly thousands" entered the Capitol and that only a small percentage of them were hooligans who committed vandalism. Carlson claimed that the majority were peaceful, orderly, and meek and that they were not insurrectionists but sightseers.

This assertion is unsourced and unsupported, as there is no way to know how many of those who entered the building committed crimes besides trespassing. The Justice Department's indictments suggest that many people did. It is important to note that Carlson used different language to describe the violence that spun out of Black Lives Matters protests in the summer of 2020. He framed the participants as "hooligans" and "vandals."

However, there is no dispute that many people who saw Donald Trump speak outside the White House did not go to the Capitol to try to stop the certification of Joe Biden's win. There were also many people who went to the Capitol but did not go inside or who went inside but did not get in by attacking police or who, once inside, did not break anything.

Second, Carlson claimed that the QAnon Shaman was escorted through the building by police. Jacob Chansley, the exotically dressed individual known as the "QAnon Shaman," was shown alongside uniformed police officers, which Carlson offered as exonerating. However, there were no timestamps on the footage that might help viewers understand the chronology.

Chansley signed a statement of offense as part of his plea agreement. The statement says that Chansley and others pushed past the police line at the top of the scaffolding, and he entered through a broken window. He moved toward the Senate floor and challenged U.S. Capitol Police Officer K.R. to let them pass, ultimately using his bullhorn to rile up the crowd and demand that lawmakers be brought out. Chansley and others entered the chamber, and the officer followed behind until there was a sufficient law enforcement presence to clear the room.

Third, Carlson claimed that there was no evidence that rioters had planned to take hostages. This assertion is inaccurate. Rioters had been heard on video discussing taking hostages, and one individual was carrying zip-ties that could have been used for this purpose. Additionally, the "Capture and Kill" team that was arrested in early 2021 had planned to take hostages and possibly execute them.

Fourth, Carlson claimed that the rioters did not have guns. This assertion is also inaccurate. One individual was arrested