Three things you probably missed about the fencing tournament Fox News has been targeting
Late last month, fencer Stephanie Turner took a knee rather than compete against trans opponent Red Sullivan and was disqualified from the University of Maryland’s Cherry Blossom tournament. The event sparked a campaign on Fox News, filled with anti-trans bigotry but lacking key context, and eventually prompted both federal and state investigations into USA Fencing’s trans-inclusive policy. The Department of Education’s investigation was announced during an interview with Education Secretary Linda McMahon on Fox News’ Faulkner Focus, further underscoring the network’s role in promoting the incident.
Related Knowledge Center: Information integrity
In an increasingly fractured media landscape, truth has been a casualty in the public discussion. Coverage has been warped by the business needs of struggling news organizations, and a significant segment of the public relies on bad-faith outlets that are little more than propagandists. While fact-checking has become routine, some organizations are exploring other ways to combat the trends. And misinformation spewed by AI-driven chatbots has become more of a feature than simply a bug.
Fact-checking and its detractors