Fox News Host Howard Kurtz Slams Network's Biden ‘Wannabe Dictator’ Chyron

The network's own host acknowledges that the graphic was excessive.

Fox News host Howard Kurtz admitted that the network "went too far" with its chyron dubbing US President Joe Biden a "wannabe dictator."

The chyron, briefly displayed on the screen during a broadcast on Tuesday night, came hours after former President Donald Trump's arraignment. It reads: "Wannabe dictator speaks at White House after having his political rival arrested."

Fox News Host Slams Network for Biden 'Wannabe Dictator' Chyron

Fox News Howard Kurtz
Tina Brown and Howard Kurtz arrive at a red carpet event hosted by Google and the Hollywood Reporter on the eve of the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington on April 27, 2012. NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/GettyImages

One of Fox News' very own hosts has come forward to admit that a particular chyron targeting President Joe Biden went too far, reigniting the debate over media responsibility and journalistic integrity.

According to Newsweek, Kurtz, who hosts the show "MediaBuzz" on Fox News Channel, slammed the chyron which misleadingly called the President an aspiring dictator.

The prominent personality who joined the network in July 2013 made an unexpected confession while delivering a piece of straight news, admitting that Fox crossed the line.

In a "MediaBuzz" segment, the Fox News host dived into the summaries of some of the hottest news of the week, which includes the controversial chyron. Kurtz described the incident to his audience and said the graphic "went too far."

The former CNN host, Kurtz, says, "Fox News briefly put up a banner that went too far on the day of Donald Trump's arraignment, referring to President Biden." He notes that the conservative news network took down the graphic quickly, and has addressed it.

Kurtz joined Fox News roughly a decade ago after leaving CNN, as per Politico. He used to be the face of Reliable Sources in the latter.

Before his stint with CNN, he used to work with Newsweek and The Daily Beast as their Washington Bureau. On top of these posts, he is also a former media writer for The Washington Post.

The controversial chyron, displayed on Fox News calling Biden an aspiring dictator, quickly caught the attention of viewers and media watchdogs alike.

Fox News Dubs President Biden a 'Wannabe Dictator'

Fox News
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 25: The logos for Fox programs are displayed on the News Corp. building on January 25, 2023 in New York City. Chairman and CEO of News Corporation Rupert Murdoch announced that he will no longer seek to combine Fox Corporation and News Corporation. The merger would have have reunited his broadcasting and print publishing companies. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

As The Hill reports, the chyron showed up before 9 pm while the network aired a broadcast of former President Donald Trump's post-arraignment speech.

Fox News showed Trump's speech and Biden's remarks side-by-side in a split screen, calling the latter a "wannabe dictator" for allegedly having his rival arrested.

The MAGA leader Trump is facing 37 federal charges over his alleged mishandling of classified documents. However, he dismisses all of these accusations as merely politically motivated by Biden. The President denied this rhetoric.

In response to the incident, Fox and the producer responsible for the chyron Alexander McCaskill, the former "Tucker Carlson Tonight" managing editor, have parted ways.

Tags
Fox News
Real Time Analytics