Harris Faulkner (bio here), one of the Fox personalities filling in for Tucker Carlson after he was fired, claimed on the air that Christians are under attack.
It’s classic rightwing victimhood. To bolster her storyline, she asserted she was kicked out of a restaurant for saying grace. She told Fox viewers:
“When you gather in public spaces, pray thankfully over your food. Even when the server gives you the stink-eye, or tells a manager that your peaceful grace is triggering them. Had it happen to me. I’ve been asked to leave a restaurant for openly bowing my head in prayer hands.”
That would be outrageous, if true, but when asked for particulars Faulkner wouldn’t name the restaurant, say when it happened, or provide any other forensic details, so there’s no way to verify her story. Moreover, it doesn’t ring true. Have you ever heard of anyone being asked to leave a restaurant for saying grace? I haven’t.
Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a moderate Republican, says Faulkner “most likely” fabricated the story (see story here).
She’s not a journalist; Fox talk-show hosts are propagandists. A real journalist who made such an assertion on air, or in print, would be asked the “who, what, where, when” by her editor. A reporter who made up a story would be fired on the spot, and find other professional doors closed to her. That’s because journalism has a code of ethics, and people managing the news business protect the integrity of their product.
But Fox is in the propaganda business; and as a Fox talk-show host, so is Faulkner. Her network chases ratings by telling its rightwing audience what they want to hear, without much regard for truth. Christians aren’t a discriminated-against minority, but if she wants to make that argument with anecdotes like this, then let’s see the proof. If she’s lying, she shouldn’t get away with it. We’re entitled to know what’s true, and what’s not.
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