It’s Not Too Late to Fix Fox News

Bruce Bartlett:

It’s Not Too Late to Fix Fox News: For the first time in its 20-year history, Fox News is stumbling. ... Fox News has long been a double-edged sword for Republicans..., it ... boxes in candidates with the narrow, cosseted views of its audience, making it almost impossible to reach out to more moderate Republicans during the general election.

Now some conservative intellectuals ... are asking whether Fox is a net plus or minus for their movement. They wonder what good it accomplishes when it leads to the nominations of Republicans like Mr. Trump, who have a low chance of winning a general election....

The sealed universe of Fox News might be an excellent strategy for a niche television audience, but it’s a disastrous one for presidential candidates who have to appeal to swing voters. Mr. Trump continues to double down on his most outrageous opinions and proposals, like the Mexican wall, cutting his campaign off from the support of moderate Republicans, undecided voters and disaffected Democrats.

Ten years ago I stopped watching Fox because I found that it distorted my worldview... Since at least 1969..., conservatives have believed that the media is overwhelmingly liberal and hostile to their values. I thought so myself for a long time, but no longer. I think it hews pretty much to the objective center, with Fox well to the right.

Could Fox News be that outlet that a broader coalition of conservatives wants? The recent ouster of Mr. Ailes and the inevitable takeover of the company by the sons of 85-year-old Rupert Murdoch mean that some change will come. Opening Fox to broader political views could be a plus for both it and the conservative movement. If Fox News remains an entrenched part of the conservative extreme, the result will be more Republican candidates like Mr. Trump and more defeats at the polls.