As expected – in the end – the television network known as “Fox News” took the path of least resistance to avoid further public humiliation and the risk of even bigger financial pain.
Tuesday afternoon Fox reached a settlement with Dominion Voting Systems and will pay the company $787.5 million for its role in disseminating falsehoods about the company, across all its shows and platforms, in the months following the 2020 presidential election. The lies damaged not only Dominion, but were a contributing factor to the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and the attempt by former President Trump and his supporters to disrupt the transfer of power to the Biden administration.
The settlement certainly sends a message about the cost of marketing lies as news, but the statement issued by Fox after the settlement was announced tells us the company has not learned its lesson, or it has learned the wrong lesson. The statement read in part:
“This settlement reflects Fox’s continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards.”
Fox News, its imitators, and former President Trump have combined forces in recent years to warp public debate in this country. They routinely lie and practice the technique of claiming to be the opposite of what they are and claiming their opponents are doing exactly whatever it is they themselves have done.
The Dominion case proves beyond a reasonable doubt that Fox never has had a “commitment” to any journalistic standards nevermind “the highest standards.”
The statement itself is a lie and shows the company has no remorse and plans to continue on the path it has always been on.
Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Tucker Carlson, Maria Bartiromo, Suzanne Scott, Brett Baier, Et al., have just cost Fox News $787.5 million and done severe damage to the civic health of the country. In most companies, the dollar damage alone would be enough to cost each one of them their jobs, but on this morning after they are all still employed.
If this is justice, it’s incomplete.
Analysis – New York Times
Analysis – CNN
Opinion – Poynter.org
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