TWJ Interviews Top-Rated News Anchor Who Resigned Over Establishment Media Bias
A little over a week ago, a former Arizona news anchor made national headlines when she announced her decision to resign.
“Sadly, journalism has changed a lot since I first stepped into a newsroom, and I’ll be honest: I don’t like the direction it’s going,” Kari Lake said in a video announcing her decision to part ways with Fox News affiliate KSAZ-TV.
“The media needs more balance in coverage and a wider range of viewpoints represented in every newsroom at every level and in each position.”
For two decades, Lake served as one half of the Arizona outlet’s highly successful anchor duo.
A message for my Arizona friends and our loyal Fox10 viewers. https://t.co/5Aq1p3uggx
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) March 2, 2021
Speaking with The Western Journal via email, Lake elaborated on her decision to leave, what’s next for her and what it was like becoming an overnight viral sensation.
“It’s been overwhelming. I did not expect the response that I received. Immediately my phone started to blow up. Dozens of text messages, emails by the thousands. All of it expressing support,” Lake told The Western Journal.
“People saying they were encouraged by the bravery and courage it took to walk away from a successful, lucrative career. Many said they were inspired by the video. A majority expressed satisfaction that somebody inside the media finally stood up to what they have been seeing for a long time — bias and a lack of balance — and did so in a way that put the media on notice.”
One mother told Lake she had shown the picture to her teenage girls, saying, “[T]his is how you behave. This is courage.”
Lake’s own daughter told her she was impressed after having seen the video make its rounds on TikTok, a platform known for having a much younger user base than most other prominent social media apps.
“I really credit God for giving me the courage to do what my heart and soul were telling me to do and for making my message resonate with so many people,” Lake told The Western Journal.
“Some people told me they are going to now stand up for what they feel is right and worry less about the cancel culture and the people who are trying to silence them.”
When asked to elaborate on what she meant in her March 2 viral video, in which she said newsrooms need a “wider range of viewpoints,” Lake made it clear she was specifically referring to “conservative viewpoints.”
“Definitely conservative viewpoints are being silenced,” Lake said. “Traditional values are being minimized.”
She went on to note, “You’d be hard-pressed to find any newsroom” that would cover a story depicting “[former President Donald] Trump supporters in a positive light,” or even “a story that highlighted a woman who had been considering abortion, but decided to keep her baby.”
“Pro-life supporters are rarely seen in a positive light. Same goes for the double-standards with police protests. Protests against police are given a lot of coverage, but the stories that highlight positive works being done by members of law enforcement are not as prevalent,” Lake continued.
“Hypocrisy, double-standards, bias, misleading coverage are all commonplace in society and newsrooms.”
While Lake believes there is still some “good journalism happening,” there are nevertheless many “serious, existential problems” hindering the public’s trust in the mainstream media.
“I think if journalists were being totally honest they would agree that in most mainstream media outlets right now, it’s very difficult to pitch a story that falls on the conservative side of the political spectrum, but it is perfectly acceptable and expected for liberal stories to be pitched and then eventually produced and aired.”
Since her resignation, Lake confirmed that many journalists have reached out in agreement, with many of them also having left the field over what they saw as a lack of balanced coverage.
As for what’s next for Lake, she simply said she’ll keep her fans posted and hopes her next move will “be one where I feel I am making a difference.”
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