Fox News host Greg Gutfeld sparked a wave of angry responses for accusing the media of “amplifying” the Russian aggression in Ukraine to generate an “emotional” reaction from viewers.
The right-wing personality made his comments during a discussion about the war on “The Five” where he complained that the media was emotionally manipulating viewers to create a “narrative” about the war in Ukraine that he believed may not be true.
“I can’t help but feel that this is like a lot of other stories that we’ve gone through in the digital age, in which an image is taken and then played over and over and over again to create some kind of emotional response out of you, because that makes a profit, for the news companies,” he said during the show.
He then compared the coverage of Russia’s invasion to the BLM protests over police brutality.
“So for a long time, we saw nothing but videos of police brutality and then over time we discovered the mundane reality that police were interacting with suspects in high-crime areas, and that led to certain kinds of problems.”
As noted by Raw Story, Gutfeld got some pushback from correspondent Benjamin Hall, who was actually on the ground in Kyiv.
Watch Gutfeld’s comments and some of the responses below.
Here are Greg Gutfeld's comments that preceded Benjamin Hall's rebuke live from Ukraine:
"This is a lot like other stories…in which an image is taken and then played over and over and over again to create some kind of emotional response out of you, because that makes a profit" pic.twitter.com/J5HXtw9iLp
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) March 8, 2022
The fact that Gutfeld thinks he’s the “smart one” in his analysis is both tragic and hilarious.
— Wayne Painters (@PaintersWayne) March 9, 2022
— 🇺🇸Sybill Trelawney🇺🇦🌻 (@SybilT2) March 9, 2022
I never imagined I’d take Jeanine Pirro’s side of an argument, yet here I am.
— Richard Lionheart 🇺🇸 (@LionheartNYC) March 9, 2022
One of these guys is in a safe, warm studio in New York City, pondering the pros and cons of journalism in a time of war. The other guy is on the ground in Ukraine, facing refugees in person and reporting their suffering in real time. F Gutfeld.
— Tim 🇺🇦 (@anonyted8) March 8, 2022
fox "news" is
Rootin' for Putin pic.twitter.com/Sx2r5lG5qX
— Perpetual Now (@Perpetual_Now) March 9, 2022
OMG..
-imgs frm Ukraine are real..many in fact too hard to watch..
-they are not a"narrative created by the media"!
-his words are in fact cold and without heart.
I dont understand…😥
-separately grateful for @JenGriffinFNC correcting Fox people saying unintelligent stuff
— esurdalnyc (@esurdalnyc) March 8, 2022
When you reach a point where Judge Jeanine thinks your conduct is outrageously, inhumanely partisan, you should really be rethinking the life choices that brought you to this moment.
— Tim Pierce (@qwrrty) March 9, 2022
NOTE: If you're calling yourself the better man, you are NOT the better man.
— J. Lang Wood (@JLangWood) March 8, 2022
Gutfeld: War is Funny! pic.twitter.com/IQTm6mse81
— Perpetual Now (@Perpetual_Now) March 9, 2022
I can't believe I'm going to say this, but thank you Jeanine Pirro
— John Vepera (@JVepera) March 8, 2022
A narrative creates a story huh. Like the summer of 2020 where Fox News coordinated with the GOP to concoct a message of BLM destroying and razing cities. When it was found that the protests were hijacked by right wing groups like the Proud Boys to support this narrative.
— Ed Brewer (@EddieHustle7) March 9, 2022
It’s so funny for him in his nice cosy studio, poking fun at fleeing refugees and foreign correspondents who have seen colleagues actually f**king shot.
— DJ Cullen 🌻 (@CullenDj) March 9, 2022