Conservative Critics Question Media Integrity Amidst "Post-Truth" Concerns

A recent social media post by Eyal Yakoby has ignited discussion among conservatives, challenging the community to reconcile its long-standing critique of "legacy media" with the prominent platforms given to figures like Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens, who are accused of disseminating misinformation. The tweet, which asks, "Are we living in a post-truth era?", highlights a growing internal debate within conservative circles regarding the consistency of their media consumption and the propagation of factual inaccuracies.

For years, a significant segment of the conservative movement has voiced strong distrust in mainstream news organizations, often labeling them as "legacy media" and accusing them of liberal bias and selective reporting. This skepticism has fueled the rise of alternative media outlets and personalities, including Tucker Carlson, formerly of Fox News, and Candace Owens, previously associated with The Daily Wire. These figures have cultivated large audiences by presenting themselves as purveyors of "unfiltered truth" and critics of established narratives.

However, both Carlson and Owens have faced numerous accusations of spreading false or misleading information. Candace Owens, for instance, is currently embroiled in a defamation lawsuit filed by Brigitte Macron, the wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, over Owens's repeated, unsubstantiated claims about Macron's gender. Owens has also been criticized for promoting conspiracy theories, including antisemitic tropes and anti-vaccine falsehoods, leading to her departure from The Daily Wire.

Tucker Carlson, since his departure from Fox News, has continued to be a central figure in controversies surrounding misinformation. During his tenure at Fox, he was frequently accused of promoting the "great replacement" theory, downplaying the January 6th Capitol attack, and spreading COVID-19 misinformation. Internal communications revealed during the Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit against Fox News showed Carlson privately expressing disbelief in the 2020 election fraud claims he publicly amplified, calling former President Trump a "demonic force" and stating he "passionately" hated him.

The tweet by Yakoby implicitly questions whether the conservative movement, in its effort to counter perceived "legacy media" bias, has inadvertently embraced a "post-truth era" where loyalty to certain personalities outweighs factual accuracy. This internal scrutiny reflects a broader societal concern about media literacy and the challenge of discerning truth in a fragmented and often polarized information landscape. The ongoing legal and public scrutiny of figures like Carlson and Owens underscores the complex dynamics of media trust and the consequences of misinformation in contemporary discourse.