It’s obvious by now that data centers are political kryptonite. Across the US, bipartisan backlash to data center projects has upended city councils, while billionaire developers and industry-aligned political candidates are being routed by grassroots opposition.
But beyond those running for or occupying political office, the backlash is also taking a toll on news networks viewed as pushing pro-data center propaganda. Case-in-point is Fox News, which has tailed president Donald Trump in embracing the AI industry’s narrative on data centers — an editorial decision which happens to coincides with viewers fleeing the network in droves.
According to a new analysis by Media Matters for America, coverage spinning data centers in a positive light shot up by a staggering 420 percent across Fox News over the past two months. On August 18, a memo issued by the National Republican Senatorial Committee went out to party insiders and top corporate executives, warning that opposition to data centers presented a major challenge to the party’s victory in the upcoming US midterm elections.
As Media Matters notes, Fox News quickly fell in line, increasing the total number of pro-data center claims to 203 between August 19 and September 2, compared to just 39 from August 5 through August 18.
Bizarre claims of “far-left activists” and Chinese government propaganda likewise proliferated, teeing up Republican faithfuls to blame a boogeyman for the rise in anti-data center rhetoric. Surprisingly, the tactic appears to have backfired, as even the network’s most devoted acolytes reacted with disgust.
“Just in case there were any dummies who thought Fox News cares what voters want,” one disaffected viewer wrote in the YouTube comments under an extremely sunny Fox and Friends segment on data centers. “They’ll always protect corporate interests over conservative interests and (perhaps) even over protecting Trump in certain cases.”
“For the first time I’m going to say, FOX is GREEDY,” another angry viewer commented. “For people who like to say they believe in God, [they] sure are failing on following his word.”
Recent reporting by Status found that viewership of Fox News is in freefall following the shift — plummeting down 27 percent across the month of October to an average of 1.1 million total viewers. That data comes from media tracking company Nielsen, which also noted that viewership across the months of July, August, and September shriveled by 16 percent compared to the previous three months. Viewers in the 24 to 54 age range — a crucial demographic — tumbled 24 percent over the period.
While there are likely a litany of other reasons for the shift, it’s nonetheless a striking correlation that coincides with a broader falling out with Trump as president. American voters overwhelmingly disprove of his handling of the economy, not to mention the extremely costly war on Iran.
With a crucial midterm election coming up, it remains to be seen how the backlash against the right’s embrace of third rail issues like data centers will cost Republicans at the polls.
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