NEW YORK—Expressing a kind of resigned satisfaction with the familiar tropes the conservative media outlet relies upon for its stories, Fox News producer Ken Peterson acknowledged Wednesday that while his work may be formulaic, it at least allows viewers to escape reality for a couple of hours. “Sure, when I started out in this industry, I had more ambitious goals, but at the end of the day, people just want to zone out and enjoy the diversion provided by a purely imaginary world,” said Peterson, adding that as long as he’s telling the stories his audience wants to hear, he feels as though he’s doing his job and making a difference. “I know some of our storylines—for example, the one about the anti-racist protesters in Charlottesville actually being paid actors hired by a PR firm—aren’t very convincing, but just because a plot is far-fetched doesn’t mean it isn’t enjoyable for people to watch. And what’s wrong with giving people something they like? Many of our viewers are getting on in years, and I think they find solace in familiar characters and story arcs, even if they do tend to be a little derivative of the president’s Twitter account.” Peterson’s went on to confirm that he doesn’t often watch his network’s programming at home, preferring to spend his free time watching the news instead.

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