premiere networks

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Right-wing media are gleefully promoting a false, racist rumor that Haitian migrants are eating pets

Right-wing figures have called Haitian people “locusts,” zombies,” and “weird Third World aliens”

Research contributions from Gideon Taaffe

Published 09/10/24 mma

On September 9, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s running mate JD Vance claimed that Haitian migrants had “abducted and eaten” pets in Springfield, Ohio, seemingly referencing debunked social media rumors.

Though local officials explained that there was no truth to the claim, right-wing media immediately jumped on the bandwagon, amplifying Vance’s allegations and pushing racist narratives about Haitian immigrants.

Some right-wing figures accused Haitian migrants of consuming “cats and ducks” and comparing them to “zombies” and “locusts.”

## JD Vance falsely alleged Haitian migrants are kidnapping and eating people’s pets, continuing long-standing right-wing media attacks on Haitians

- JD Vance wrote on X that he had previously raised concerns about “Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services and generally causing chaos all over Springfield, Ohio” and “reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn't be in this country.” While Vance did admit in a subsequent post that “it's possible, of course, that all of these rumors will turn out to be false,” he doubled down by telling by telling his “fellow patriots” not to “let the crybabies in the media dissuade you” and encouraged them to continue making “cat memes.” Twitter/X, [9/9/24, 9/10/24, 9/10/24]

- The claim Haitian migrants are eating cats seemingly originated from a commentator at a local meeting, Facebook rumors, and a video of a woman accused of eating an animal. The video used as evidence took place in Canton, Ohio, not Springfield, Ohio, and The Guardian reported that the woman did not appear to be a Haitian immigrant. The Guardian, [9/9/24]

- Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck says there is no truth to the story.In a statement to ABC News, Heck said that “in response to recent rumors alleging criminal activity by the immigrant population in our city, we wish to clarify that there have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community.” (Vance had previously cited Heck in a Senate Banking committee meeting about issues Springfield has had with housing for Haitian migrants.) ABC News, [9/9/24]

- The debunked attack on Haitian people is the latest in years’ worth of racist right-wing media tirades against the country. In the aftermath of the deadly 2010 Haiti earthquake, right-wing media said that the “Haitian pact with the devil is historical fact” and that the country was “so screwed up because it wasn’t colonized long enough.” Then in 2018, when Trump had labeled Haiti a “shithole country,” Infowars’ Alex Jones backed him up, saying it is a “literal craphole” and a “hellhole.” Media Matters, [1/14/10, 1/20/10, 1/21/10, 1/12/18; NBC News, 1/11/18]

## Right-wing and far-right media figures and Trump allies have used this claim to launch hateful attacks at migrants, criticize the Biden/Harris administration’s immigration record, and encourage people to vote for Trump

- The Federalist posted an article titled “If You Want Haitians Eating Cats And Decapitating Ducks In Your Town, Vote For Harris.”The piece also alleges that even though many have denied this claim, “officials have no way of knowing whether this is really happening” and that the debunks serve to “shame anyone who dares to notice the problems that arise when you inundate a community with foreigners from the Third World.” The Federalist, [9/10/24]

- Fox anchor Trace Gallagher claimed migrants are “taking over” Springfield Ohio and eating people’s pets. He stated, “They’ve got 20,000 illegal immigrants that have flooded into this place. They are taking over the city. They are taking people's pets and killing them and eating them.” Media Matters, [9/9/24]

- Trump campaign adviser Alex Bruesewitz claimed that “President Trump made it a felony to abuse animals” and “Kamala Harris allows illegal aliens to eat pets.” Bruesewitz also added, “Vote for Trump.” Twitter/X, [9/9/24]

- Trump ally Laura Loomer released “limited edition” “pet collars for your furever friends so that Kamala’s @KamalaHarris’s invaders know our pets are NOT YOUR LUNCH.”The collars say “Not Your Lunch #MAGA” and cost $23.28. Twitter/X, [9/9/24; Untamed USA, accessed 9/10/24]

- The Gateway Pundit published an article titled “Epic Memes Emerge Online Following Reports of Cat and Bird-Eating Haitian Immigrants in Ohio, Causing Liberals to Lose Their Minds.” The article argued that the memes showed “not even our most beloved animals are safe from Harris’s open border,” noting that some of them depicted Trump as “a protector of the animals while telling Americans to vote for him in November.” The Gateway Pundit, [9/9/24]

- Conservative outlet Townhall suggested voting for Trump to stop cats and ducks from being “consumed by illegal immigrants.” The site posted, “Right now—somewhere in Ohio—innocent cats and ducks are being consumed by illegal immigrants. Don't just sit idly by while your pets are victimized. Do something.” Twitter/X, [9/9/24]

- Townhall columnist Kurt Schlichter said that he wants to “close our borders to weird Third World aliens who want to eat our cats and dogs and our geese and ducks.” Twitter/X, [9/9/24]

- Libs of TikTok posted a poll asking people “which do you prefer,” “mean tweets” or “Haitians grilling cats.” Twitter/X, [9/9/24]

- In a discussion about the Haitian migrant story, Outkick host Clay Travis compared migrants coming into the U.S. to “locusts” who will “become a plague upon your land.”Travis further claimed that migrants in the U.S are “not going to adopt any of your values” and are going to “bring whatever awful things had destroyed the country that we were in to your country.” Premiere Radio Networks, *The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show*, [9/9/24]

- Travis also claimed “Kamala’s illegal immigrants” are “eating up cats,” which he said puts “cat ladies for Kamala … in a tough spot.” He stated, “The wild thing to me is, Buck, you had all the cat ladies for Kamala that were running around because JD Vance made a reference years ago to childless cat ladies, and you had people showed up dressing up like cats. These cat women are in a tough spot now that Kamala's illegal immigrants are eating up cats.” Premiere Radio Networks, *The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show*, [9/9/24]

- Turning Point USA’s Charlie Kirk amplified the rumor about Haitian immigrants, claiming that “allegedly, Haitians are going around and taking people's pets and eating them.”Media Matters, [9/9/24]

- Infowars host Alex Jones argued that Haitians are being “brought in” to the country and committing multiple violent crimes as well as eating pets. He stated, “You've got the Haitians, who have had a collapsed country for many decades, the Clintons feeding off of them, all of it. Being brought in, in medium-sized towns, cities, you know, 20-, 30,000 a pop like Springfield, Ohio. Which is they're eating the dogs, the cats, raping, burning, murdering, just like zombies running around.” InfoWars, *The Alex Jones Show*, [9/9/24]
- Daily Wire Matt Walsh argued that the cat eating is “happening everywhere that illegal immigrants are being imported.” He continued, “One wonders what the childless cat ladies will say when their cats end up in a Haitian's crock pot or whatever they use to cook cats — I don't know. After all, this isn't just happening in Springfield, Ohio. It's happening everywhere that illegal immigrants are being imported.” The Daily Wire, *The Matt Walsh Show*, [9/9/24]

- TPUSA contributor Jack Posobiec shared a screenshot of a Facebook post claiming the poster’s neighbor’s daughter lost her cat to Haitian migrants who were “carving it up to eat.” Posobiec added, “20,000 Haitians have been imported to Springfield, Ohio since Biden and Kamala took office.” Twitter/X, [9/8/24]

- Right-wing figure Ian Miles Cheong posted a video of a cat and a duck playing together with the caption: “Don't show this to the new 'residents' of Springfield, Ohio.” Twitter/X, [9/9/24]

- Right-wing commentator Mike Crispi alleged that we’ve “now reached the point where the poor asylum seeking migrants are eating house cats and wild birds.” Crispi also claimed that “Democrats are seeking to make these individuals citizens/voters.” Twitter/X, [9/9/24]
- In response to someone asking him if he’s ever “met or helped any Haitians,” Gab CEO Andrew Torba posted that he’s “more concerned with helping and serving my own people in Ohio who the Haitians are terrorizing with their savagery.” Twitter/X, [9/10/24]

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mma 9 24

Fox News raises false alarm about noncitizen voting

This narrative, which has saturated Fox News, was echoed by Donald Trump on the debate stage

Written by Alicia Sadowski, Isabella Corrao & Jane Lee

Research contributions from Pete Tsipis, Sage Hodil & Casey Wexler

Published 09/16/24

At the September ABC News presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, Trump falsely claimed that there are “illegal immigrants coming” and that “they’re trying to get them to vote” in United States elections. Trump’s “great replacement” racist conspiracy theory echoes a far-right dog whistle blown repeatedly by Fox News hosts, contributors, and guests in recent months.

Even though noncitizen voting is both illegal and rare, Fox News has attempted to instill panic by suggesting that droves of noncitizens are voting as a result of the Biden administration’s immigration policies and political strategy and the legal ability of noncitizens to acquire driver’s licenses.

## Noncitizen voting is a nonissue

- The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 bars noncitizens from voting in federal elections. Violators of the law face possible fines and imprisonment for up to a year, as well as deportation. While some districts allow noncitizens to vote in local elections, no state allows noncitizens to vote in statewide elections. Communities that allow noncitizens to vote in local elections “maintain processes to ensure that a registered noncitizen voter cannot receive a ballot for state or federal races.” The Associated Press, [9/2/24; Bipartisan Policy Center, 3/13/24]

- Voting by noncitizens is extremely rare.The Brennan Center for Justice conducted research in 2017 on noncitizens voting, reviewing 42 jurisdictions in the 2016 election, and reported that, of 23.5 million votes cast, “election officials only found about 30 cases of potential noncitizen voting that they referred for prosecution or further investigation.” NPR, [3/13/24; The Associated Press, 9/9/24, 10/19/22; Brennan Center for Justice, 5/5/17]

- There are many measures in place to prevent noncitizens from voting.Election administration experts have said that reviewing voter rolls has successfully helped to “flag noncitizen voters” and explained that states are “required to conduct regular list maintenance to remove ineligible voters from the rolls.” Brennan Center for Justice, [3/1/24; The Associated Press, 9/9/24]

- There is no evidence that large numbers of unauthorized migrants are registering to vote or that expanded license eligibility for noncitizens increases fraudulent noncitizen voting.Election officials in Arizona, Texas, and Pennsylvania have debunked claims that Social Security Administration data shows a surge in the number of voters registering without a photo ID. As far as the impact of expanded license eligibility is concerned, according to the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, 17 states and the District of Columbia have expanded license eligibility and “have not reported non-citizens being illegally permitted to vote.” The Associated Press, [4/4/24, 10/17/22]

- Congressional Republicans argue the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility — or SAVE — Act will put an end to noncitizen voting, even though the issue is virtually nonexistent. The bill has been described as the “‘great replacement’ theory … in legislation form.” Civil rights groups have also condemned the bill, saying it “seeks to intimidate members of immigrant communities and communities from exercising their lawful right to vote.” The Washington Post, [7/9/24; Media Matters, 9/4/24]

- Even data compiled by The Heritage Foundation shows that noncitizen voting is not a major problem. The Heritage Foundation maintains a database of 1,546 “proven instances of voter fraud.” Aaron Reichlin-Melnick examined the database for Immigration Impact and found that most involve U.S. citizens. “A close review of the cases in Heritage’s database reveal that the organization has documented just 68 total cases of noncitizen voting going back to the earliest cases documented in the 1980s. That’s less than 5% of the cases in their database, total. The remaining cases all involve U.S. citizens.” Immigration Impact, [8/1/24]

## Fox News pushes a false narrative that illegal immigrants are coming in droves to vote in United States elections

- Fox host Laura Ingraham and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) discussed the SAVE Act’s supposed purpose of preventing the “very serious problem” of noncitizen voting.Ingraham said, “Illegal immigrants pouring into the country — like we've lost that story in the last couple of weeks — but millions have come in, and let's say even a small, small percentage manages to vote — because they think they can, reasonably believe they're allowed to.” Fox News, *The Ingraham Angle*, [7/10/24]

- Host Sean Hannity claimed that in “states where you don't need proof of citizenship to get a license,” you “never have to require proof of citizenship” to register to vote. Former Trump adviser and frequent Fox guest Stephen Miller responded: “This is a conscious choice to let illegal aliens vote.” Fox News, *Hannity*, [7/10/24]

- Miller alleged that the Biden administration has “resettled” undocumented immigrants in “American cities and towns” to “interfere in the electoral process of the United States.”Miller further called it a “conspiracy” to “undermine the franchise rights of every American as the Biden administration fights relentlessly against verifying the citizenship of voters.” Fox News, *Life, Liberty & Levi*n, [7/7/24]

- Fox News host Maria Bartiromo cited a debunked video she claimed “reveals 14 percent of illegal immigrants admitted that they are registered to vote.” The video, posted by The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project, was described by The New York Times as “one of several misleading videos that the Heritage Foundation has pumped into social media feeds this year.” Despite the video’s claims, the Times reported that “state investigators found no evidence that any of the seven people on the tape had ever registered to vote.” Fox News, *Sunday Morning Futures*, [8/4/24, Twitter/X, 7/31/24; Brennan Center for Justice, 9/10/24; The New York Times, 9/7/24]

- Ingraham, Miller, and Fox News contributor Katie Pavlich complained about Tim Walz signing a bill expanding driver’s license eligibility to undocumented immigrants, claiming it was a campaign strategy to receive more votes. Miller ranted, “When he talks about a legal pathway, what he is talking about is bringing in millions of illegal aliens with full amnesty, full government benefits, free health care.” Fox News, *The Ingraham Angle*, [8/6/24]

- Hannity asked: “If you have illegal immigrants given legal driver's licenses like Walz will give illegal immigrants in the sanctuary state that he loves of Minnesota, and free health care and free college education and you can get a license — once you have a legal license, can’t you register to vote?” Fox News, *Hannity*, [8/7/24]

- Fox News co-host Jeanine Pirro baselessly claimed that migrants are “lining up to vote right now, given driver's license, which is a point of identification where you can register to vote, and there are jurisdictions that actually want them to vote.”Fox News, *Hannity*, [8/9/24]

- Ingraham spread “great replacement” theory rhetoric, claiming that the Biden administration was naturalizing immigrants as citizens quickly in the hopes that they would be “repaid” by new citizens who “end up voting Democrat.”When asked about “the real objective” of the Biden administration, guest Stephen Miller stated, “Maximum migration with maximum speed. Their hope is that having a massive amount of unvetted migration into this country, it will tilt the scales to the left.” Miller then accused the Biden administration of naturalizing “criminal illegal aliens,” declaring, “They want illegal aliens to vote.” Fox News, *The Ingraham Angle*, [8/14/24; Media Matters, 9/11/24]

* On his Premiere radio show, Hannity speculated about whether Democrats allowing undocumented immigrants to get driver’s licenses in Minnesota would “also allow them perhaps to maybe use that as ID to go and register to vote.”He also asked, “Why would any one major political party not want proof of citizenship? Because you need proof of citizenship for everything else in life.” Premiere Radio Networks, *The Sean Hannity Show*, [8/21/24]

- Host Jesse Watters exaggerated the supposed threat of migrant voting by citing Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s (R-VA) and Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R-TX) respective announcements that they had purged voter rolls of thousands of ineligible voters in their states, complaining, “They keep saying it's illegal and it doesn't happen. But now Virginia and Texas have just found thousands of them.”In Virginia, after Youngkin signed an executive order that removed 6,303 noncitizens from the voter rolls, he did not clarify whether that number represented “noncitizens who actually voted or if there was an error and they later turned out to be citizens.” In Texas, Abott claimed to have removed 6,500 noncitizens, but as the Houston Chronicle noted, “Many of the governor’s 6,500 ‘potential noncitizens’ are most likely new U.S. citizens who didn’t verify their new status with the county’s election office within 30 days.” Fox News, *Jesse Watters Primetime*, [8/26/24; NBC News, 8/23/24; Houston Chronicle, 9/4/24]

- Fox Business host Sean Duffy claimed, without evidence, that “there's been reports of illegals registering to vote, and there's help coming from the federal government, the state government, and NGOs.”Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller responded by pushing “great replacement” theory rhetoric: “And if you wonder — people always say, ‘Why did Kamala Harris allow 20 million illegals into the country?’ It's to try to get to this and to have them vote. Keep in mind, Sean, that in a lot of places around the country, Democrats are pushing to allow noncitizens to actually go and vote in local elections.” Fox News, *Sunday Morning Futures*, [9/1/24]

- Miller declared that the “illegal voting issue” was “a national crisis.”Miller claimed, “In all 50 states, illegal aliens can vote by checking a box on a federal form that says, ‘I'm a citizen.’ That attestation is not validated in any way — not with ID, not with a nationalization record, not with a birth certificate, not with a passport, not with anything. It is on the honor system.” Fox News,*One Nation with Brian Kilmeade*, [9/7/24]

- After 198 Democrats voted against the SAVE Act, Trump campaign senior adviser and Fox News guest Alina Habba stated: “The Democrats can't win lawfully, so they're trying to make sure that they turn their cheek the other way instead of enforcing the laws that require citizens to vote.” Fox News, *Sunday Morning Futures*, [9/8/24]

- Outnumbered co-host Emily Compagno suggested that undocumented immigrants are voting, saying, “And if you’re illegal, you’re voting a million times, too.”Fox News, *Outnumbered*, [9/11/24]

- After host Sandra Smith called the SAVE Act “pretty reasonable,” Fox News contributor Jason Chaffetz inaccurately cited Texas to claim that “there have been thousands of instances” of noncitizen voting. In response to guest and former New York Democratic state senator David Carlucci noted that noncitizen voting is extremely rare, with even the right-wing Heritage Foundation documenting only 25 instances of prosecution for voter fraud in the last 20 years, Chaffetz cited Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R-TX) controversial removal of alleged noncitizens from the voter roll. Abbott did not provide any evidence that the alleged noncitizens had voted. Fox News, *America Reports*, [9/12/24; CNN, 9/12/24; Houston Chronicle, 8/26/24]

Premiere Networks - Wikipedia

Premiere Networks, Inc. (formerly Premiere Radio Networks, shortened as PRN) is an American media company, a subsidiary of iHeartMedia, for which it currently serves as its main original radio content distribution and production arm. It is the largest syndication company in the United States. Founded independently in 1987, it is headed by Julie Talbott, who serves as president.

Premiere Networks either syndicates and/or (co-)produces more than 90 individual programs and radio programming services/networks to more than 5,500 affiliates across the U.S., reaching about 245 million listeners monthly. Premiere offers talk, entertainment and sports programming featuring well-known personalities including Ryan Seacrest, Delilah, JoJo Wright, Mario Lopez, Bobby Bones, Crook & Chase, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton, Glenn Beck, Steve Harvey, Big Boy, George Noory, John Boy and Billy, Sean Hannity, Elvis Duran, Dan Patrick, Bill Cunningham, Cody Alan, Johnjay and Rich, Jay Mohr, Leo Laporte and others. The company is based in Sherman Oaks, California, with 13 offices nationwide.

Many Premiere produced/distributed programs are also available on several on-demand audio streaming services, including iHeartMedia's own iHeartRadio platform and iHeart.com website.

It also acts as a Primary Entry Point in the Emergency Alert System for its terrestrial radio affiliates.

History

[edit]

Premiere was founded in 1987 with an investment of US$30,000 (equivalent to $80,000 in 2023). Founders included Steve Lehman, Tim Kelly, Louise Palanker^[1] and Ed Mann. The network produced three programs with approximately 250 affiliates. In 1992, Premiere entered the agreement with Mediabase, and later acquired the said company in 1994.^[2]

In 1997, Jacor Communications acquired both Premiere and EFM Media (producer of the talk program *The Rush Limbaugh Show*), and in turn, Clear Channel Communications ultimately bought Jacor. Following the merger with AMFM Inc. in 2000, its syndication arm, AMFM Radio Networks, and its radio shows, were folded into Premiere's operations.

Premiere entered a long-term agreement with Fox Sports to launch Fox Sports Radio, with Premiere handling distribution of the network to radio affiliates.

Distribution

[edit]

Premiere Networks' programs are currently distributed over satellite, NexGen Digital WANcasting, and downloadable via FTP. The FTP server serves both primary and backup delivery needs for weekly pre-recorded content. For years, Premiere used the popular Starguide Digital III satellite system to distribute their programs prior to their transition to X-Digital Systems (XDS) for satellite delivery.

Premiere's entertainment programs are distributed on a mixture of fee and barter-based deals.

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