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The Big Lie came at a big price.
The astonishing last-second $787.5 million settlement between Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems, which came after the jury had been seated and on the brink of opening statements Tuesday, served as stark reminder that lies have consequences.
The country suffered the consequences of Donald Trump’s election lies on January 6th. And Rupert Murdoch suffered the consequences of those same lies on April 18.
But while it is the largest publicly known defamation settlement by a U.S. media outlet ever, the hefty price tag won’t be enough to change Fox News at its core. The right-wing talk channel still sows doubt about the 2020 election to this day. And I’m told by sources that the settlement it reached with Dominion will not require its dishonest personalities to acknowledge reality and issue retractions on the air.
Instead, Fox News will walk away with only having to “acknowledge” its lies in the weaselly worded statement it put out as its lawyers quite literally fled the courthouse while reporters sprinted down the street after them.
“We acknowledge the Court’s rulings finding certain claims about Dominion to be false,” the network said, before having the gall to add the settlement “reflects Fox’s continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards.
