Chris Wallace to NY Times: ‘I don’t pull punches, I’m not playing favorites’

Chris Wallace told The New York Times in a Sunday feature that he “doesn’t pull punches” and is “not playing favorites” when it comes to his reporting.

The “Fox News Sunday” anchor added that he has “never been second-guessed” on a guest he’s booked or a question he’s asked on his program.

The interview comes as Wallace, a 55-year veteran in journalism, has been the target of President Trump in recent months on social media. The anchor has stated that “both sides” periodically become angry with his reporting and perspective.

Just watched Mike Wallace wannabe, Chris Wallace, on @FoxNews. I am now convinced that he is even worse than Sleepy Eyes Chuck Todd of Meet the Press(please!), or the people over at Deface the Nation. What the hell is happening to @FoxNews. It’s a whole new ballgame over there!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 12, 2020

“Look, I work at Fox. Do I agree with some of the stuff I hear? Absolutely not,” Wallace said in reference to some commentary from the opinion side of the network.

“In the end, I have decided that what matters to me is what I am allowed to do. And the fact is, in the 16 and a half years I’ve been at Fox News, I have never — by [former Chairman and CEO] Roger Ailes first, now by the Murdochs — I’ve never been second-guessed on a guest I booked, a question I’ve asked.”

Rupert Murdoch is chairman of Fox Corporation and executive chairman of News Corporation, while his son Lachlan Murdoch is chairman and CEO of New Fox.

“I don’t pull punches, I’m not playing favorites,” Wallace added. “That’s what matters ultimately to me.”

On Sunday, Wallace joined FNC’ “Media Buzz” host Howard Kurtz to discuss the recent ouster of New York Times editorial page director James Bennet, who resigned last week following the publication’s decision to publish a controversial op-ed by Republican Sen. Tom Cotton (Ark.). 

Cotton called for using the military to help quell violent protests in the U.S.

“Is journalism becoming more intolerant?” Kurtz asked.

“You know, it feels like the inmates are running the asylum,” Wallace replied. “You know, I’ve been critical sometimes of the Times and I think that their liberal tendency tends to bleed out onto their news coverage; some people have accused Fox of the same thing in terms of our tendencies. But I thought what happened in the last week at the Times was just extraordinary.”

Wallace is currently on a media tour to promote a new book, “Countdown 1945: The Extraordinary Story of the Atomic Bomb and the 116 Days That Changed the World.”