Geraldo Rivera reminded viewers of Fox News why his appearances are increasingly must-see moments on the network. 

During a Wednesday night appearance on Hannity, Geraldo and Dan Bongino squared off over criminal justice reform and protests that have followed the killing of Daunte Wright during a routine traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, Minneapolis.

As has been the case with so many recent Geraldo appearances, this devolved into name-calling and allegations of being a "son of a bitch." It was entertaining to watch, but that's not the (sole) reason why Geraldo is the day's winner. 

Geraldo Rivera has become the rare Fox News contributor who gets ample airtime but does not solely reiterate the very same right-of-center talking points one hears on the right-of-center opinion programs day in and day out.

Cable news outlets often reveal a clear bias, but by far the biggest is a bias towards conflict. And whether he is battling with Bongino or his other regular foe, Leo Terrell, Geraldo is not afraid to go toe to toe with ideological rivals in a manner that on rarely sees anymore on Fox News. 

Which is why, on this day, Geraldo Rivera is Mediaite's Winner of the Day.

Fox & Friends co-host Pete Hegseth literally blamed the victim Daunte Wright during a Thursday morning guest slot filling in for Steve Doocy, arguing he would be alive had he complied.

In a segment focused on the protests that have followed in the Minneapolis suburb, Hegseth noted that “very few people are willing to have the conversation we should have, which is Daunte Wright should be alive, but if he had complied, he would be alive,” apparently unaware that there are very good reasons why so few are willing to say that. 

“He decided to fight the cop. When you decide to fight the cop, you escalate the situation,” Hegseth said.

To be completely fair, Hegseth also laid blame on the Brooklyn Center police officer who defended her fatal shooting of Wright during a routine traffic stop by saying she accidentally reached for her handgun when she meant to take out her taser. “She didn’t make the right call. He shouldn’t be dead. I’m not excusing that," he noted. "But when you fight back, you create the possibility for a tragic situation.”

But even "partial" blame is blame, and probably is not terribly well-received by the grieving Wright family confused by the extrajudicial killing of their son over an outstanding warrant for his arrest. Which is why Hegseth is today's loser.