‘Wrapped in the Israeli flag’: Fox News raises money for Jewish federation
The conservative news network, which has drawn some new Jewish viewers, has also launched an online section about antisemitism
A large Fox News advertisement stands near Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan. The network has been fundraising for Israeli relief efforts. Photo by Getty Images
By Arno Rosenfeld November 9, 2023
Fox News is increasing its coverage of antisemitism and raising money for a Jewish federation fund for Israel.
The conservative news network, which has reportedly been drawing more Jewish viewers who worry about media bias against Israel, launched “Antisemitism Exposed” on Wednesday. It’s a special online section that mixes stories that take a dim view of criticism of Israel with coverage of Nazi salutes and other overt examples of bigotry.
Fox Corporation, which includes both the news station and other channels like Fox Sports, has also been fundraising for the UJA-Federation of New York’s Israel Emergency Fund. The company announced a $1 million donation to the fund — which supports medical care and other resources for Israeli soldiers and civilians — days after the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, which killed more than 1,400 people. Israel has since killed more than 10,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to local officials, which is run by Hamas.
The federation has raised more than $37 million for the fund since it was launched.
Lauren Townsend, a Fox spokesperson, said that the network was sharing information about the UJA-Federation fund with viewers “across our Fox platforms, inviting them to donate in support of the UJA’s efforts to provide urgent relief and support to those impacted by the attacks.”
Townsend said that Fox had also provided free airtime for public service announcements from the Foundation to Combat Anti-Semitism, the nonprofit run by Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots.
Emily Kutner, a spokesperson for UJA-Federation, said the organization had not asked Fox to promote its fund. “Fox execs came to us and said they wanted to promote our fund across multiple platforms,” Kutner said in an email.
“As far as I know no other network has promoted our fund,” she added.
Some cheer coverage, others criticize hosts
The New York Times reported last week that some Jewish Americans were finding “a refuge” in Fox’s coverage of the Oct. 7 attack and Israel’s war in Gaza.
“More than any of the other major cable news channels — and perhaps more than any other major American media outlet — Fox News has wrapped itself in the Israeli flag in the weeks since the Hamas attack,” wrote Jeremy Peters, a media reporter for the Times.
Peters pointed to segments on Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza and a puppy whose owners were killed in the Hamas attack.
Some Fox News hosts have faced criticism for their comments about the war. “I don’t like how people try to differentiate between the Palestinians and Hamas,” Jesse Watters, a co-host of a weekday talk show on the channel, said on Oct. 16. “They all love killing Jews.”
Another host, Joey Jones, joked that Israel should fill humanitarian aid trucks for Palestinians with Israeli fighters.
Fox News reporting on the Anti-Defamation League’s educational materials for schools last year, including claims that they contained “far-left” material on race, gender and sexual orientation, prompted the organization to launch an internal investigation. The results of that probe are still pending, according to the ADL.
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