Newsmax

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Newsmax is a conservative Republican-oriented global news portal. It is run by wingnut hack and conspiracy theorist[1] Christopher Ruddy (1965–),[2] and principally lives on the Internet on news site sidebars. It was formed on 16 September 1998, and also has four main sections: the main section, Newsmax Health, Newsmax Finance, and Newsmax World. They also have a print magazine. Its website is dominated by wingnutty shock news,[3] moral outrage,[4] conspiracies,[5] and trashy advertising for dubious "get rich quick" schemes, quack medicines/workout programmes, and publications that feature ads for similar products. Christopher Ruddy, its CEO, has tried to make the network somehow even crazier and less fact-based than a major competitor to Fox News, and has even hired a few former Fox News hosts.

Wingnuttery[edit]

Newsmax is popular with the type of people who read WorldNetDaily; both outlets feature similar worldviews of an idealized conservative God-fearing America besieged by godless libruls, filthy sodomites, evil terrorists, immoral atheists and diseased illegal aliens. However, they managed to even out-wingnut WND when one of their contributors called on the military to overthrow Obama in a coup,[note 1] saying that it would "restore and defend the Constitution". Yes, removing a President elected by the largest margin in decades and replacing him with a junta would restore the Constitution. This apparently was a foreshadowing of NewsMax's involvement with attempting to overthrow the 2020 U.S. presidential election,[7] leading up to the 2021 U.S. Capitol riot.

Distinguished contributors to Newsmax include David Limbaugh (brother of Rush Limbaugh), Michael Reagan (the adopted son of Saint Ronnie), "Doctor" Laura Schlessinger, and (quack) Doctor Russell Blaylock. They'll also spend some time now and again giving airtime to bunk medicine, like chelation therapy.[8] They conducted an interview with Pat Buchanan about a book he wrote complaining that America has become less white and Christian, with the interviewer taking him very seriously.[9]

History[edit]

In 2015, Christopher Ruddy had a change of heart and donated to the Clinton Foundation, following nearly two decades of anti-Bill Clinton advocacy. Ruddy also criticized Clinton Cash, a book written by conservative author Peter Schweizer with accusations of corruption of Bill and Hillary Clinton due to their donors.[10]

In November 2020, Newsmax saw a large boost in popularity following the 2020 US Election, specifically when Fox News conceded that Joe Biden won over the incumbent Donald Trump, infuriating many of their supporters. Trump, before getting banned by Twitter for inciting violence in the 2021 U.S. Capitol riot retweeted tons of random people to go to Newsmax, as Newsmax still falsely claimed that he "won" the 2020 U.S. presidential election in a landslide.[11][12]

Due to Newsmax's tendency to promote Donald Trump's bullshit election fraud claims after Trump lost the 2020 U.S. presidential election, on August 10 2021, Dominion Voting SystemsWikipedia filed a lawsuit claiming that Newsmax (along with One America News Network, Rudy Giuliani and Patrick M. Byrne) defamed the company, seeking 1.6 billion dollars in damages.[13]

See also[edit]

External links[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ↑ They later took it down, but it was preserved.[6]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ The strange Death of Vincent Foster: An Investigation by Christopher Ruddy (1997) Free Press. ISBN 074324253X.
  2. ↑ Chris Ruddy and Newsmax went all-in on Trump. Now they might pay a price for it. by Sarah Ellison et al. (May 6, 2021 at 2:00 a.m. PDT) The Washington Post.
  3. ↑ Pro-Immigration Forces Back North American Union by John O. Edwards (July 9, 2007) NewsMax (archived from August 24, 2007). Example of shock and conspiracy theory (North American Union).
  4. ↑ Homosexual Activists Want to Silence Nation's Youth Michael L. Betsch April 8, 2002) NewsMax (archived from August 3, 2011). Example of moral outrage!!1!]
  5. ↑ Largest Conspiracy Ever by Kevin McCullough (Oct. 9, 2002) NewsMax (archived from May 24, 2008). Example of conspiracy]
  6. ↑ Obama Risks a Domestic Military 'Intervention' by John L. Perry (September 29, 2009 10:35 AM) NewsMax (archived by Media Matters for America.
  7. ↑ Newsmax settles a defamation lawsuit from a Dominion executive at the center of election conspiracy theories and issues an apology by Jacob Shamsian (Apr 30, 2021, 2:51 PM) Business Insider.
  8. ↑ MTD5 Chelation Therapy (Jul 22, 2014) NewsMax via Yoube. Fail.
  9. ↑ Buchanan: America's Decline Began in the '60s With LBJ's 'Great Society' (Oct 19, 2011) NewsMax via YouTube. Yes, really]
  10. ↑ Chris Ruddy defends Clinton Foundation by Hadas Gold (04/27/2015 11:02 AM EDT) Politico.
  11. ↑ South Florida’s Newsmax rides wave of interest as Donald Trump urges supporters to turn off Fox News by Anthony Man (Nov 12, 2020 at 10:12 PM) South Florida Sun Sentinel.
  12. ↑ My two days watching Newsmax, the network waging war on Fox News from the right: The 24-hour channel has refused to call the election for Biden because it believes Trump still has a chance to win. by Emily VanDerWerff (Nov 12, 2020, 8:30am EST) Vox.
  13. ↑ "Dominion sues Newsmax, One America over U.S. election fraud claims" by Jan Wolfe and Tom Hals, Reuters, 2021 August 10
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