“Fox and Friends,” a very Trump-friendly program on the Trump-friendly network, broke journalistic standards and gave former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt script approval and knowledge of interview questions beforehand, according to documents obtained by the Daily Beast.
While pre-interviews are not uncommon while a network vets a possible guest to determine his or her expertise, they are taboo for government officials who already presumably have relevant knowledge, as they help them dodge hard questions.
According to the Daily Beast, in one exchange, the show’s producers let Pruitt’s office approve the lead-in script to his interview, along with giving him pre-interview questions ahead of time.
A Fox News spokesperson referred TPM to the network’s statement to The Daily Beast: “This is not standard practice whatsoever and the matter is being addressed internally with those involved.”
