Putting the rumors to bed: Battle Line is not hiring Tucker Carlson or Don Lemon
By: Paige Turner, Battle Line Ombudswoman
It has been a while since readers have heard from me, but I felt it appropriate to break that silence this week to dispel the rumors you have no doubt been hearing. Neither Tucker Carlson nor Don Lemon is joining the Battle Line newsroom.
Both men were fired by their respective networks – Fox News and CNN – on Monday. Rumors immediately began swirling that one or both of the now unemployed anchors would be joining Battle Line. As the fastest-growing news outlet in the country (depending on how you calculate it), we are used to being at the center of speculation and tabloid gossip.
And, full disclosure, Battle Line did in fact receive phone calls from both Carlson and Lemon to inquire as to whether we were hiring. We were respectful, but unequivocal: No. We pride ourselves on running a lean operation while still giving our readers what they seek most and what other news outlets refuse to provide: The truth.
To be clear, this is not to say that our doors are closed forever. They each filled out internship applications, and we certainly appreciate and understand their desire to learn from the best.
But a strong argument can be made that, within just a few years, there will no longer be a market for television news anchors. The country is turning away from television news and toward a brand-new medium known as “print journalism.”
“News consumers are so bored of watching TV and are looking for something new and exciting,” said Walter Rhodes, a news consumption researcher at George Mason University. “Enter print journalism, complete with the thrills of still photography and a wide array of fonts. It’s the medium that everyone is raving about these days.”
Upon further research, Rhodes appears to be correct. Reading – long considered a luxury hobby reserved for the wealthy elite – is surging in popularity among all socioeconomic classes. Battle Line has even learned of some elementary schools offering reading courses for kids as young as first grade.
In other words, make room, Battle Line subscribers. You’re about to get some company.
In a recent poll of this new population known as “readers,” a staggering 86 percent of respondents indicated they prefer to get their news “in print format.” They especially like news “in the form of an online newsletter that publishes roughly once or twice a week and that appears in their email inboxes between 6 and 8 a.m.”
If this newfound love for print is real, then you might be wondering why the print outlet Buzzfeed announced the closing of its news division this week and why we hear so much about small-town newspapers going under.
The second part of the nationwide reader poll offers helpful insight. When asked what kinds of stories pique their interest, two in three readers said the news should be “focused primarily on Ohio, with national stories, product reviews and op-eds from middle-aged celebrities sprinkled in.”
You couldn’t write a better synopsis of Battle Line’s reporting thus far in 2023. Just a few examples:
Focused on Ohio – Our extensive coverage of the trial of former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder took a backseat to no one. We are clearing shelf space for a Pulitzer.
National stories – We explained how the rising price of eggs is leading many Americans to also eat the egg cartons. In addition, we reported that threats to ban TikTok is causing Gen Z to support China President Xi Jinping in the 2024 US presidential election.
Product reviews – Our segment on Lotus Biscoff cookie butter directly led to a 23-percent sales boost for the company.
Op-eds from middle-aged celebrities – See “I’m looking to date older women. Will you help me?” by Leonardo DiCaprio
We understand that one does not become the most trusted name in news by accident. Battle Line’s ascendancy to the nation’s highest-rated news outlet has been swift, but we remain eternally humble.
For now, at least, we remain eternally humble without the likes of Tucker Carlson or Don Lemon.