The MeidasTouch Podcast

Episode: Media Matters Fellow Matthew Gertz Exposes Propaganda for Trump

Date: September 8, 2025
Guests: Matt Gertz (Media Matters Senior Fellow)
Hosts: Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas

Overview

This episode features a deep-dive with Media Matters’ senior fellow Matt Gertz, focusing on how Fox News and right-wing media outlets manipulate narratives to protect Donald Trump and manufacture support for authoritarian policies. The Meiselas brothers and Gertz discuss the shifting propaganda strategies around jobs reports, the silencing of the Epstein story, fear-mongering about crime in Democratic cities, and the state of independent and corporate media as the 2024 election cycle intensifies.

Main Discussion Topics & Insights

1. Fox News’ Manipulation of Economic Narratives

Timestamps: 01:29–07:15

• Fake Consensus and Contradictions:
  Fox News rapidly shapes its economic coverage to fit pro-Trump talking points—even when those points are contradictory.
  • Example 1: Trump adviser Kevin Hassett blames "bad response rates" at the Bureau of Labor Statistics for weak jobs data, suggesting numbers are artificially low and will be revised up.

    “The Bureau of Labor Statistics…they’ve been messing up the August seasonal so much that over the last 10 to 15 years, they've tended to have to revise up the number by around almost 70,000 jobs…So it’s their fault.”
    — Kevin Hassett, Fox News clip (02:37)

  • Example 2: Trump's Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-Darimer simultaneously claims adding only 22,000 jobs is actually a positive, but blames Jerome Powell for not cutting interest rates.

    “Jerome Powell should be embarrassed by this report because he has not done his job…The President was right in 2016 and the President is right now…But Jerome Powell has [failed].”
    — Lori Chavez-Darimer, Fox News clip (04:16)

  • Matt Gertz’s critique (05:41):

    “The arguments are diametrically opposed…If job creation is going gangbusters … then there's no reason to lower rates. If the labor sector is right … that the economy is slowing … then it would make sense for rates to cut. But you have to pick a lane on this one.”

• Insight:
  Fox’s approach is to uncritically amplify whatever pro-Trump spin is expedient at the moment, even if their takes directly contradict each other.

2. Suppression and Deflection of the Epstein Story

Timestamps: 07:15–11:10

• Shifting Focus:
  The right once loudly used the Jeffrey Epstein scandal as a tool against Trump’s opponents, but now, per Gertz, have been told by Trump to drop the issue entirely.

  “Trump told them to stop talking about Jeffrey Epstein and that's basically what they've done…They do not want to talk about this at all.”
  — Matt Gertz (08:17)

  • Fox News ignored the major presser on the Epstein case, except for a two-minute blip from Marjorie Taylor Greene. Instead, they fill airtime with trivial faux outrages about celebrities and cultural topics (e.g., Sydney Sweeney’s jeans, Cracker Barrel logo).

    “They always pick up all these other narratives and fake stories too…No one cares about the jeans…”
    — Host (07:15)

• Rationale for Suppression:
  Trump himself is more closely tied to Epstein than anyone else in politics, so the right wishes to avoid the story.

  “No one's got more close ties to Jeffrey Epstein in politics than Donald Trump does…On Fox News, viewers don't hear about that.”
  — Matt Gertz (09:20)

• Summary:
  Fox News either deflects damaging stories or ignores them, keeping their audience’s focus elsewhere unless the narratives serve Trump’s interests.

3. Pushing Authoritarian "Crime Wave" Narratives

Timestamps: 11:10–14:34

• Manufacturing Fear:
  After dropping the Epstein story, Fox News pivots to intensifying fear about crime in Democratic (“blue”) cities, especially Chicago, to justify proposals for military intervention.

  “They're taking the playbook of WMDs in Iraq and saying Chicago's a hellhole that needs an invasion by the United States military to make the people obedient.”
  — Host (11:10)

• Statistical Reality vs. Narrative:
  Gertz points out that actual crime statistics do not match Fox’s narrative. Chicago’s 2024 murder rate is not in the nation’s top 20, and its crime is declining.

  “Chicago was not one of the top 20 cities for murder rate in 2024. And this year, it's seeing the lowest rates of shootings and murders since the 1960s.”
  — Matt Gertz (13:20)

• Danger:
  Gertz warns this atmosphere primes viewers to accept authoritarian federal crackdown.

  “The crisis atmosphere that Trump is trying to use to justify sending troops … is really a concoction of right wing media who are trying to grease the skids for that.”
  — Matt Gertz (14:08)

4. State of Independent and Corporate Media

Timestamps: 14:34–17:03

• Rise of Independent Media:
  Host observes more pro-democracy outlets cutting through the right’s dominance on social platforms, with YouTube outperforming platforms like X (formerly Twitter), which remain manipulated by figures like Elon Musk.

  “I think if you've been looking at YouTube, you're seeing independent media from Democracy Hub Pro Democracy Media is, I think, starting to beat a lot of the right wing stuff in other platforms.”
  — Host (14:45)

• Corporate Media Risks:
  Gertz warns of authoritarian-leaning influence at legacy networks (e.g., CBS), highlighting reported efforts to install pro-Trump figures in leadership.

  “What we've seen over at CBS News now, you know, what is effectively a takeover … by a close ally of the president who is now reportedly trying to install Barry Weiss, a conservative pundit, at its sort of apex.”
  — Matt Gertz (15:55)

• Future of News:
  As corporate media potentially aligns with regime interests, the need for well-supported independent outlets grows.

  “There's going to be more and more space for independent news outlets to flourish…if we have enough people willing to go out and make the case for our values.”
  — Matt Gertz (16:37)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Contradictory Narratives:

  “You have to pick a lane on this one…Fox’s role in all of this is to just kind of let the Republicans talk, accept whatever they say as fact, and kind of go from there.”
  — Matt Gertz (06:10)

• On the Epstein Story:

  “People who spent years talking about Jeffrey Epstein don't want to do it anymore because Trump told them not to.”
  — Matt Gertz (09:25)

• On Crime Narrative:

  “The reality is the crisis atmosphere that Trump is trying to use to justify sending troops into the streets is really a concoction of right wing media…”
  — Matt Gertz (14:08)

• On Media Takeovers:

  “It is, you know, a page out of the authoritarian playbook…replacing what had previously been critical news outlets with leadership that will bring them more into line with what the regime wants.”
  — Matt Gertz (16:17)

Key Segment Timestamps

• Fox’s jobs report narrative games: 01:29–07:15
• Epstein story suppression and Fox’s culture war deflection: 07:15–11:10
• Manufacturing a crisis in blue cities: 11:10–14:34
• Independent vs. corporate media and regime influence: 14:34–17:03

Closing Thoughts

Matt Gertz’s Media Matters research details how Fox News and the broader right-wing media ecosystem adapt, deflect, and manufacture narratives to support Donald Trump, undermine accountability, and promote authoritarian responses—even when those narratives are incoherent. As traditional media faces both influence from the right and the rise of independent outlets, the fight over public perception and the future of democracy remains more critical than ever.