Fox News’ stance on vaccines has been (and this is putting it generously) mixed. Take, for example, the Fox and Friends co-hosts (Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt, and Brian Kilmeade), who sat down in May to let everyone know that they’d all been vaccinated against COVID-19. That hasn’t stopped Kilmeade from grumbling about the idea of virus-related mandates, and casually mentioning how easy it is to get a fake vaccine card. Not good! And that’s not the most dangerous talk out there. Tucker Carlson’s many months of vaccine skepticism adds up to an ill-advised cocktail, and he’s steadfastly refused to reveal whether he’s been vaccinated for Covid-19.
In fact, Tucker has deflected to asking people questions about their sex life whenever the subject comes up. All of this might become mighty awkward, if a new CNN report is accurate. The cable news network published details from a memo (which was posted in full by AdWeek) from Fox News Media chief executive Suzanne Scott to employees. Scott declared that Fox News “asked all employees — whether on site as part of our essential workforce or working remotely — to upload their vaccination status.” That info will be popped into an internal database and must have been completed by August 17. Here’s more from CNN:
Scott added that while masks remain optional for vaccinated employees, the company is “requiring employees to wear a mask in small, confined spaces with limited opportunities for social distancing and where there are multiple employees, including control rooms.”
Scott, however, notably stopped short of saying that vaccines will be mandated to enter the offices.
Word of this memo follows after June reports that Fox News was quietly implementing its own version of a vaccine passport for employees. That happened amid Sean Hannity’s turnabout to urge people to take COVID seriously. Meanwhile, Tucker Carlson is still not talking about his own vaccine status, but it sounds like he might have to open up to his bosses, at the very least. Should be interesting.