Anyone who was expecting hard-hitting journalism in the Fox News interview of the Duggars over Josh’s sex scandal will be disappointed.
Megyn Kelly score a big “get” last week. The Fox News anchor announced that on Wednesday, she will interview embattled parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, about son Josh‘s sexual molestation of five underaged girls when he was a teen.Â
Some had hoped that Kelly, who at times has broken the Fox News mold and actually performed hard-hitting acts of objective journalism, might feel obligated to do so as she sits down with the “19 Kids and Counting” parents.
Kelly made sure to dash those hopes Monday night, in a segment during which she brought in Fox News’ media critic, the scandal-plagued Howard Kurtz.
“I’ve been pretty disgusted by how some liberal media types are using what’s obviously a family tragedy to score political points,” offered Kurtz.
“The Kelly File” host told her viewers that “this isn’t going to be a cross-examination of a family. It’s going to be an interview. I want to hear their story. And I think America wants to hear their story now.”
America actually does want to hear their story, but don’t expect to from Wednesday’s interview, because Kelly has already promised no “tough” questions.
“Nothing is off limits,†Kelly claimed, but added, “I don’t plan on getting into the specific details about what was done, because my understanding is the victims don’t want to discuss that either.”
Considering that, according to reports, four of the five victims are Josh Duggar’s sisters, that may be understandable, but has Kelly asked, or asked the fifth victim? Will they be given air time? No.
Kelly took last night’s segment to control audience expectations, and lashed out at the “liberal media” for how they’ve handled the sexual molestation scandal.
“And what’s been remarkable to me as, I admit, somebody who doesn’t watch [“19 Kids and Counting”], is to see how many in the media have handled it. From jumping to ‘They’re the worst, the house of horrors, this family’s sick, sick, sick’ to people like this woman on CNN trying to make this the problem of the Republican presidential field.”
She was referring to a CNN report that suggested half the GOP presidential candidate field may have a “Josh Duggar problem” because he has posed with a great many Republican candidates.
“Bill Clinton was accused of rape!,” Kelly exclaimed, comparing that to Josh Duggar’s confessed acts. “He has been accused by several women of sexually assaulting them! But the fact that a presidential candidate has posed with some random member of the family that’s going through this issue is somehow a problem for the GOPers?”
Yes, expect Wednesday night’s interview to be more about persecution of Christians than what Josh Duggar did, what Jim Bob and Michellle Duggar did and did not do to protect their children, or how the Duggars’ parenting practices and religious beliefs are a part of what happened.
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Image: Screenshot via Fox News
Hat tip: Mediaite and No More Mister Nice Blog