Fox News faces political scandal as its executives seek to preserve its profits

The network has moved further and further to the right to appease Donald Trump and his base, and to maintain its ratings, but its actions and those of its hosts are coming under sustained fire

Texts between Fox host Sean Hannity (right) and Trump allies have emerged as part of the Capitol riot investigation

(AP)

Has Fox News outfoxed itself over the 6 January US Capitol insurrection? And Rupert Murdoch with it?

The conservative cable news network has brazened out scandals before, not least the battery of sexual harassment allegations levelled at its late former CEO Roger Ailes, which became the subject of the Charlize Theron film Bombshell, and those faced by some of its now departed anchors and personnel.

But it is a political scandal that has engulfed the network this time. It comes courtesy of the publication by the congressional committee investigating the ugly events in Washington DC last year of texts between Fox primetime anchor Sean Hannity and Trump administration personnel, including chief of staff Mark Meadows.