Sean Hannity says his team and executives at Fox News Channel are angry with The New York Times for photos it used to promote an interview with the star.
A profile on one of FNC’s mainstays for the Dec. 3 edition of The New York Times Magazine almost went off without a hitch. Almost. Mr. Hannity told his radio listeners that an image used to promote author Matthew Shaer’s “How Far Will Sean Hannity Go?” was akin to a creative sandbagging.
“My staff is upset about it,” the Fox host said of an open-mouthed photo of him yelling at readers, THR reported Tuesday. “People at Fox are upset about it. The New York Times goes for anger, and that’s exactly what they did.”
Mr. Hannity — who agreed to the photo by Christopher Griffith — appeared less upset about it being used in an online trio than he did with it as a singular focal point for news stands.
“Did The New York Times do this on purpose because that’s the way they want to portray conservatives? That’s the question,” he asked. “’How Far Will Sean Hannity Go?’ What does that mean? How far I’m going to go in my career? … Does it mean how far will Hannity go before he falls? I mean, what is the point here?”
THR noted the Mr. Hannity did not fuss over the actual substance of Mr. Shaer’s work, which covers the trajectory of his career since joining Fox in 1996, the success of his radio show, and support for President Trump.
“The quintessential Hannity program, whether on radio or television, tends to hinge on one or more of the host’s abiding preoccupations: reverence for the military and law enforcement; nostalgia for an America that Hannity feels is slipping away; disdain for the mainstream media; and since the last presidential election, unyielding support for the agenda of Donald Trump,” the author wrote.
“[Porter] Berry, the senior executive producer of ’Hannity,’ told me that in shaping the TV show, he and Hannity try to imagine the kind of thing that would appeal to Berry’s family in Oklahoma. ’I’m not thinking, Hey, will this make me popular in New York City or in the Hamptons,’ Berry says. ’Our audience is regular people.’
How far will Sean Hannity go? https://t.co/ajZ0yl0cH0
— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 28, 2017
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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