Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon are both out. Why their departures are nothing alike

Tucker Carlson out at Fox News, Don Lemon fired from CNN — truly, cable news offered something for everyone on Monday.

Whether that something is anger or elation depends on a lot of things, including your political leanings. But it was surely one of the most momentous days in the history of cable-news networks.

Right-wing types were outraged on social media over Carlson’s departure (#DoneWithFox trended on Twitter). Liberals praised the move.

Until Lemon tweeted about his firing. It’s not as if liberals immediately rushed to Lemon’s defense. But the right-wingers found something to cheer about.

The announcements followed one after the other Monday morning, with Carlson’s news first, then Lemon’s. Carlson hasn’t said anything publicly. Lemon, who was on the air Monday morning, said in a tweeted statement that he was “stunned.”

Shocker: Tucker Carlson is leaving Fox News. Good riddance

Tucker Carlson's departure is a financial risk for Fox News

Stunning is a good word for it. These are seismic moves made almost at the same time in an industry that is typically slow to act unless forced to. Particularly in Carlson’s case, it’s a huge financial risk, though it arguably strikes a blow for journalistic integrity at a time the network sorely needs some.

If Lemon’s firing is a tremor, Carlson’s is an earthquake. There were plenty of reasons to get rid of both, but it’s disingenuous to pretend that the two were equally irresponsible.

Lemon said stupid, offensive things on a morning show whose ratings were awful. He leaned left, for sure, but it’s not as if he was a power in the Democratic Party.

Carlson is a plague on journalism, if you can even call what he practiced during his hugely popular prime-time show journalism. Other words, like propaganda, come more readily to mind. Lemon was irritating. Carlson was dangerous. Toadies like Sen. Ted Cruz groveled before him, terrified that his audience would turn on him if he didn’t toe the Tucker line. Lemon just didn’t have that kind of power.

Their transgressions were as different as their influence.

In February, while discussing Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley on “CNN This Morning” with co-hosts Kaitlan Collins and Poppy Harlow, Lemon said on-air that Haley “isn’t in her prime, sorry.” He also said that a woman is “considered to be in her prime in her 20s and 30s and maybe 40s.”

CNN fires Don Lemon: 'I am stunned,' he tweets

Lemon was already on the outs at CNN

That statement is ridiculous by any measure. And Lemon was already on the outs. He was moved from primetime to the revamped morning show in November in what was widely considered a demotion. The statements about Haley gave CNN fodder to get rid of him altogether. (Ratings were also terrible, the one unforgivable sin in TV.)

His exit is still surprising, but it’s not earth-shaking.

Lemon apologized to the newsroom, underwent a corporate training program and was criticized publicly by Chris Licht, CNN’s CEO.

Compare that with Carlson. He has spewed lies and disinformation for years on Fox News. Until Monday, however, Carlson’s punishment was nonexistent. If we learned anything from Dominion Voting Systems’ lawsuit against Fox News, it’s that the truth means nothing to Carlson, as well as several other Fox News personalities. Or, for that matter, to the network itself.

Agreeing to pay $787.5 million and issuing a statement that said, in part, “We acknowledge the Court’s rulings finding certain claims about Dominion to be false” to settle the case doesn’t exactly bolster the network’s journalistic reputation.

I’m not sure “parting ways” with Carlson does much to make up for it, either, not as long as Sean Hannity and Jesse Watters and Laura Ingraham and Maria Bartiromo and the clowns who make up “The Five” are still spouting off on its air. It’s not as if getting rid of the loudest mouth makes up for the rest of them.

On the other hand, at least it’s a start.

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Reach Goodykoontz at bill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Facebook @GoodyOnFilm and on Twitter @goodyk. Subscribe to the weekly movies newsletter.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Tucker Carlson, Don Lemon are out. Their departures are nothing alike