Research/Study
Former Daily Caller writer is helping ramp up Fox News' attacks on climate activists
Published
Thomas Catenacci, formerly of the Tucker Carlson-founded and Koch-funded right-wing outlet The Daily Caller, is now helping drive climate coverage on FoxNews.com. Hired in June as a political writer for Fox News Digital, Catenacci is pushing content attacking climate activists and advocates while serving as a pipeline for those attacks to appear on Fox News programs and the wider right-wing mediasphere.
During his stint as an energy and environment reporter for the Daily Caller, Catenacci produced a steady stream of attacks against the Biden administration and its climate agenda. He is also known for suing Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot for racial discrimination “for granting interviews only to Black and Brown journalists on the second anniversary of becoming mayor.”
Media Matters reviewed Catenacci’s writer page on FoxNews.com and the site’s articles categorized as “climate change” and found:
- Catenacci has published 73 pieces at FoxNews.com between his first article on June 21 and September 21, and 37 of those articles — 51% — have been focused on climate and energy issues.
- The vast majority of Catenacci’s climate content — 23 of 37 articles — focused on or directly attacked climate activists and advocates of climate action within the administration or Democratic Party.
- Catenacci had the most bylines (17) of any individual writer on articles categorized as “climate change” by FoxNews.com.
- Of the 84 stories the site has categorized under “climate change” in his three months at FoxNews.com, Catenacci authored 20%.
- Several of his stories, particularly those attacking climate activists and advocates, have been picked up by Fox News personalities and other right-wing media outlets.