Hannity Now Says He’s ‘An Opinion Journalist’ After All

In this March 4, 2016, photo, Sean Hannity of Fox News arrives in National Harbor, Md. Hannity is getting a bruising reminder that this year's presidential campaign defies traditional political rules. The Fox News Channel and radio host had a nasty spat with Ted Cruz this week, following criticism from both the left and right about his interviews with Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
FILE - In this March 4, 2016, file photo, Sean Hannity of Fox News arrives in National Harbor, Md. Fox News told Politico on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016, that Hannity won’t be appearing in any more campaign videos for ... FILE - In this March 4, 2016, file photo, Sean Hannity of Fox News arrives in National Harbor, Md. Fox News told Politico on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016, that Hannity won’t be appearing in any more campaign videos for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Hannity touted Trump in a brief segment of an 8-minute long video posted on the candidate's YouTube channel Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File) MORE LESS
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Star Fox News host Sean Hannity recently decided that he is a journalist after all, albeit an “opinion journalist,” despite claiming previously that he is nothing of the sort.

“I’m a journalist,” Hannity said in a New York Times profile published Tuesday. “But I’m an advocacy journalist, or an opinion journalist.”

As recently as April last year, Hannity defended his chumminess with President Donald Trump, then the Republican presidential nominee, with the argument that he is not a journalist.

“I’m not a journalist, I’m a talk show host,” he said on his radio show.

Hannity repeated that argument throughout the 2016 election, and later used it to defend his open support for Trump’s candidacy.

“I’m not hiding the fact that I want Donald Trump to be the next president of the United States,” he told the New York Times in August 2016. “I never claimed to be a journalist.”

At the time, Hannity said he offered Trump advice, but said it was unclear how much of it Trump took because “nobody” controlled the candidate.

“Do I talk to my friend who I’ve known for years and speak my mind? I can’t not speak my mind,” Hannity said.

In the profile published Tuesday, Hannity also appeared to reevaluate that role, and said he was “a little bit of a liaison” between Fox News and Trump’s campaign.

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