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Fox News famously called the State of Arizona in 2020 for President Joe Biden before any other network, much to the chagrin of the Donald Trump campaign and the network’s hard-core Republican audience. That call, which was correct, led to departures from the network’s Decision Desk team and was the subject of much interest during the network’s defense of a defamation lawsuit brought forth by Dominion Voting Systems.
But the unit’s leader says he doesn’t feel any pressure to make different calls as the 2024 election approaches.
In an interview with POLITICO, Arnon Mishkin shared that he doesn’t feel any pressure from network executives to be the first outlet to call a state or race.
“I don’t feel that that’s a pressure. I think that there’s a distinct pressure to be right — or, rather, not be wrong,” said Mishkin. “So I think that’s the pressure. And yes, there have been some calls that have been faster than others — obviously — but at the same time I don’t feel any sort of pressure from that.
“The public has a right to know who the next president is. Uncertainty about that is not a good thing. And anything you can do to contribute to the information about that is an important thing. And it would’ve been appropriate for us to share the information about that on election night in 2020.”
Mishkin — who is simply a consultant for Fox News and not an employee — added that he has not felt as if he needs to make decisions about races that the network’s audience agrees with after pushback from viewers in 2020.
“No, I don’t feel any pressure because of that. I think the pressure the team feels is: Focus on the numbers, and focus on who’s going to win, and let us know. And I don’t feel any sort of pressure like, ‘Call it our way. Make our audience happy.'”
