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‘Director’ Trump calls for shot — and Fox News’ control room complies

By MixDex Article may include affiliate links

At a rally in Duluth, Minnesota, Donald Trump once again took aim at “fake news” for not accurately depicting the size of the crowds at his events — and asked for a wide shot to prove it — which Fox News punched up for him:

  • Trump, speaking at a campaign rally, began talking about the size of the crowd by saying “And by the way you’re very good at real estate … did you see the thousands and thousands of people outside that will never be reported by the fake news, but the thousands of people that couldn’t get in.”
  • “Many thousands, they’re all over, the parking lots, they’re all over,” he added.
  • “And it would be great if the cameras could take a shot of the arena,” he said, twirling his finger in the air while making the request.
  • Fox News, who had, in fact, just shown a wide shot of the arena, complied by bringing up the same camera view, which panned the audience as the crowed cheered for an extended period of time.
  • “So usually they don’t do it…” Trump added.
  • The shot, like one of a black audience member that sparked finger pointing on social media, was only shown on Fox News’ coverage of the rally — the network pool camera feed did not include the shot.
  • Networks routinely rely on so-called “pool cameras” for events, especially those organized by the White House, where the same feed is provided to all networks to use.
  • Typically the responsibility for this shot rotates among networks, who are typically tasked with providing a straight-on shot of the event and, if applicable, any speeches made.
  • Networks are, as these two incidents illustrate, free (and frequently do) to add their own camera shots, graphics or other elements over the feed during their own coverage.
  • The size of crowds at Trump events has been a continual sticking point between Trump and the media going back to his days on the campaign trail, as well as during his inauguration.

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