Fox Host Walks Back Praise for Fringe Movement

Jesse Watters first said QAnon has 'uncovered a lot of great stuff'
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 27, 2020 7:47 AM CDT
Fox Host Retracts His Praise for QAnon
Donald Trump Jr., left, and Eric Trump, right, pose for a photograph with Jesse Watters of Fox News prior to the start of a news conference previewing the U.S. Women's Open Championship at Trump National Golf Club in 2017, in Bedminster, N.J.   (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

The fringe conspiracy movement QAnon picked up some praise from a Fox News host over the weekend, who then quickly walked it back. During an interview with Eric Trump on Saturday, Fox's Jesse Watters declared that QAnon has done some "crazy stuff," but "they've also uncovered a lot of great stuff when it comes to (Jeffrey) Epstein and the Deep State," reports Mediaite. That prompted a quick backlash, given that QAnon peddles the notion that a "cabal of Satanic child sex-traffickers running the deep state" is trying to take down the presidency, per New York Magazine. Followers also dispense wild, dangerous advice about COVID-19, and Rolling Stone has details there. After his comments drew attention, Watters issued a statement.

“While discussing the double standard of big tech censorship, I mentioned the conspiracy group QAnon, which I don’t support or believe in," he said. "My comments should not be mistaken for giving credence to this fringe platform.” Among the critics were NBC News reporter Ben Collins, who disputed the notion that QAnon has uncovered "great stuff." Actually, the "Epstein reporting was by actual reporters at newspapers, bastardized by Q to fit a narrative about Satanic child cannibalism," he wrote. Axios takes a broader look at conservative TV networks pushing conspiracies. It notes that Sinclair Broadcast Group asked affiliates not to air a recent one about Anthony Fauci, though One America News Network (OANN) has been "more reluctant" to walk back discredited stories, including one that an injured protester in Buffalo was a member of Antifa. (More Jesse Watters stories.)

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