# Opinion: Tim Graham Says TV Networks Show France Burning but Keep Calling the Rioters 'Peaceful' Protesters

The Fox News column quotes ABC, CBS, PBS, BBC, NPR and NBC coverage and argues they blamed 'public services' and a 'far right' rather than naming radical left and Islamist elements.

- Section: [Opinion](https://rightnewsrightnow.com/opinion/)
- Published: 2026-10-24
- By: RightNewsRightNow Staff
- Canonical page: https://rightnewsrightnow.com/articles/opinion-tim-graham-networks-france-burning-peaceful-protesters-broadcast-bias/

Writer Tim Graham argues in a Fox News column that American networks are softening the story of the French riots.

His opening. Graham recalls NBC's Katie Couric saying in 2001 that "the French, they've got it right, don't they?" He says networks have long praised French socialism, so when violence hit Paris and other cities they preferred to cite failing "public services."

His examples. He quotes ABC's Tom Soufi Burridge on protests "supposed to be about the cost of living" that "spiraled out of control," CBS's Gayle King and Aidan Stretch on protests "hijacked by masked rioters," and PBS's Ross Cullen on "underinvestment." He says the BBC's James Waterhouse called the demonstrations "mostly peaceful," a phrase that drew mockery. Graham says most reports did cover the rioting and looting, but pushed the line that bad actors had hijacked the marches.

The "far right." He faults NPR and NBC for focusing on the French far right "capitalizing" on the chaos. NBC's Richard Engel said the far right blames illegal immigration. Graham says that camp is called extreme chiefly for opposing mass migration, and cites Trump saying, "If Europe doesn't close its borders and bring the criminals out, like the people that are protesting, Europe is finished."

The omissions. Graham says network coverage avoided Palestinian flags, and that Greta Thunberg's presence marked the protests as radical left. He quotes Ari Fleischer asking why the New York Times and Washington Post showed no pictures of rioters holding Palestinian flags. He adds that CNN and MS NOW denounced Trump for "fearmongering," which he calls rich given years of coverage of Jan. 6.

His conclusion. Graham says wokeness unites socialists and Muslims under a "diversity" frame, and that outlets will not report accurately when leftists riot.

Note for readers: this is one columnist's argument, and Fox's own excerpt cannot show everything networks aired. The French protests began over school conditions and living costs, which the networks reported. We have not checked the broadcasts quoted.

## Source

Original reporting: [Fox News (opinion by Tim Graham)](https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/broadcast-bias-networks-show-france-burning-highlight-peaceful-protesters)