Hannity’s Seth Rich Conspiracy Theories Spur Advertiser Exodus
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
More advertisers are pulling their commercials from Fox News host Sean Hannity’s program amid calls to boycott him over his promotion of conspiracy theories about the death of a Democratic National Committee staffer.
Seven advertisers have pulled out of “Hannity,” according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, including Cars.com, Casper mattresses, and Hotels.com. The boycott campaign was launched by liberal-leaning group MediaMatters after Hannity propagated unfounded stories about the unsolved killing of Seth Rich.
Hannity last week seized on a quickly-discredited report –- later retracted by Fox itself –- that Rich was in contact with WikiLeaks before his murder last summer. He and other right-wing pundits speculated that Rich might have been assassinated to protect the interests of Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party.
Washington, D.C. police have found no evidence to support this theory and believe that Rich was likely killed in a botched robbery attempt.
Advertiser boycotts can quickly move network policy — Bill O’Reilly, the Fox anchor felled by a wave of sexual harassment allegations, was partly done in after brands refused to air their ads with his program.
Hannity himself is taking a previously-unannounced vacation on Thursday and Friday. Before he went off the air, he promised that he would he would stop discussing the story out of respect for Rich’s family.
Contact Daniel J. Solomon at [email protected] or on Twitter @DanielJSolomon
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
