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Daily Caller, Fox News Delete Video Celebrating 'Liberal Protesters' Getting 'Pushed Out of the Way by Cars'

A controversial January article from Daily Caller, which was picked up by Fox News, has been quietly scrubbed from both outlets’ websites.

Published Aug. 16, 2017

 (DD Images / Shutterstock.com)
Image Via DD Images / Shutterstock.com

On 27 January 2017, the Daily Caller’s then-video editor Matt Raust penned a short piece ("Here's A Reel Of Cars Plowing Through Protesters Trying To Block The Road") that featured a compilation video of cars that, as the headline promised, were shown pushing their way through crowds of protesters. On 29 January 2017, Fox News ran the same story, which stated in its entirety:

Here’s a compilation of liberal protesters getting pushed out of the way by cars and trucks. Study the technique; it may prove useful in the next four years.

The posts, which had already been shared widely when it was first published, resurfaced after the death of Heather Heyer — who was killed while protesting a neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville, Virginia on 12 August 2017, when a white nationalist reportedly intentionally rammed his car into a large group of counterprotesters. As a result, these article generated widespread anger online before they were deleted without any notice or explanation by 16 August 2017.

In a statement to CNN Money, Noah Kotch, the editor-in-chief of Fox News Digital, said:

The item was inappropriate and we've taken it down. We regret posting it in January.

The Daily Caller’s editor-in-chief declined to comment to CNN. We reached out to multiple people at the Daily Caller for an explanation on the video’s removal, but received no reply.

On 14 August 2017, we reported that Daily Caller had, similarly, scrubbed any evidence of the fact that Jason Kessler, one of the organizers of the "Unite the Right" white nationalist protest, ever wrote articles for them. In fact, he used Daily Caller to promote the event without disclosing he was one of the organizers.

This is, as well, not the first time that Daily Caller or their editorial staff have joked about running protesters over with cars. In a now deleted 10 March 2017 tweet, Daily Caller editor Kate Frates mused:

I wonder how many #NativeNationsRise #NoDAPL protesters I could run over before I got arrested #getouttamyway

She was referring to a First Nations protest over the Dakota Access Pipeline that impeded her commute to the office that day.

Sources

Almasy, Steve.   "'Unite the Right' Rally Organizer Flees After Confrontation at Media Event."     CNN.   13 August 2017.

Raust, Mike.   "Here’s A Reel Of Cars Plowing Through Protesters Trying To Block The Road."     The Daily Caller.   27 January 2017.

Stanglin, Doug, and Cavallaro, Gabe.   "1 Dead, 19 Injured as Car Hits Crowd After a 'Unite the Right' Rally in Charlottesville; Driver in Custody."     USA Today.   12 August 2017.

Kludt, Tom.   "Fox News, Daily Caller Delete Posts Encouraging People to Drive Through Protests."     CNN.   15 August 2017.

Alex Kasprak is an investigative journalist and science writer reporting on scientific misinformation, online fraud, and financial crime.