Fox News Said Libraries Are “Drug-Infested Sex Dens” Now & Where's My Library Card?

Fox News has a breaking update on libraries. Or their version of libraries, at any rate. According to the conservative news outlet, libraries have been turned into “drug-infested sex dens” and people are too much fun reacting to this wild bit of misinformation.

Last week, Fox News ran a segment on the program The Five with the worrisome headline, “Libraries Turning Into Drug-Infested, Sex Dens,” with host Jesse Watters contending that “libraries are no longer safe in [President] Joe Biden’s America.” His source? A brief report from The New York Post that outlined alleged security issues and challenges facing librarians across the country.

While we certainly believe librarians face challenges like everyone working in public-facing jobs, presenting libraries are drug-infested sex dens is an outrageous stretch. As panelist Richard Fowler pointed out, the FBI reports that crime is down across the country and in major cities. His fellow panelists, perhaps unsurprisingly, challenged him and stuck to the idea that libraries are just out of control now.

And people on social media had an absolute field day with Fox News’ take on libraries.

One person even figured that this report “made libraries cool” again.

This person agreed that Fox News made libraries cool but also brought none other than Arthur into the chat. If you remember the aardvark’s musical philosophy, “Having fun isn’t hard, when you have a library card,” you’ll get it.

This user correctly pointed out that “Fox news would know you don’t need a comma between ‘drug-infused’ and ‘sex dens’ in this chyron of they had spent more time in libraries.”

Some librarians even chimed in with their own thoughts. Like this person who felt cheated that they had never been offered drugs or sex during 12 years of library work.

This person wondered if they had perhaps just chosen the wrong library.

Then this veteran librarian admitted that okay, two eighth graders were caught kissing. And had a cough drop. So maybe that’s where the “drug-infested sex den” rumor started.

The real question for this user? “Who told?”

Another user felt cheated that they were told too late.

This user sarcastically called out the idea that libraries would be known for “their debauchery and raucous ragers,” pointing out that people would need to “keep the noise down” because come on, it’s still a library.

And finally, this person mocked the absurdity of it all by noting that libraries do not have “sex den” money ‘in this economy.”

Librarians have enough on their plate with ridiculous book bans, not that Fox News has ever admitted book bans exist. They don’t need the drug-induced sex den crowd showing up at their door looking for a place to party based on these rumors.