1. Fox News starts the year with a meltdown about states moving to protect or expand abortion access

In January, Fox News launched a frenzied wave of abortion-related coverage concerning a state law in New York that protects abortion access in the event that the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. Fox News hosts and guests mischaracterized the law as allowing “abortion up until birth” or legalizing “infanticide.” Fox also lambasted Democratic support for abortion access as being too “extreme” to appeal to voters. This frantic coverage continued in February, when Fox levied similar inaccurate characterizations about a Virginia bill intended to expand abortion access in the state.

This freakout was not limited to Fox. In particular, the network’s narrative about the so-called Democratic “extremism” not only spilled over into broader right-wing media circles, it also became a mainstay of Republican politicians’ talking points -- including President Donald Trump. In his 2019 State of the Union address, Trump promoted the lie that Democrats in New York wanted to “allow a baby to be ripped from the mother's womb moments before birth.” Trump also made this sensationalized allegation a regular part of his 2020 stump speech, repeating it at many subsequent rallies.