Fox News Forking over a ‘Pile of Cash’ to Dominion ‘Does Nothing for Our Democracy’
Right-wing network knowingly spread lies about the 2020 election
Dominion Voting Systems, the election technology company caught up in right-wing lies over the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, settled its blockbuster defamation lawsuit against Fox News for more than a whopping $787 million.
But even that settlement has been met with a somewhat muted response.
Dominion, whose voting machines were caught up in the lies told by Donald Trump and his supporters that he was the true winner of the 2020 race, sued the right-wing propaganda outlet because Fox News hosts repeated the election lies on-camera.
Documents uncovered during the lawsuit proved that Fox News personalities knew Trump's claims were lies but reported them anyway as fact to their viewers.
After the announcement of the settlement Tuesday, Dominion lawyer Justin Nelson said that the $787.5 million “represents vindication and accountability.”
“Lies have consequences,” he said.
However, the settlement — rather than taking the case to what would have been a very public trial — allowed Fox executives wiggle room in their public relations offensive.
“We acknowledge the Court's rulings finding certain claims about Dominion to be false," a statement by the right-wing network said. “This settlement reflects FOX's continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards. We are hopeful that our decision to resolve this dispute with Dominion amicably, instead of the acrimony of a divisive trial, allows the country to move forward from these issues.”
When it came to reporting the Fox statement about a “commitment to the highest journalistic standards,” on-camera, CNN host Jake Tapper had to admit, “I’m sorry, this is going to be difficult to say with a straight face.”
And in a separate report on CNN, host Anderson Cooper read the same line about “the highest journalistic standards,” back to Dominion lead counsel Davida Brook, she acknowledged, “I don’t believe we think that, Anderson.”
Yet the strongest reaction to the settlement might have come from late-night comedian Stephen Colbert, who appeared indignant when he told his audience, “I guess it’s satisfying for Dominion that [Fox News boss Rupert Murdoch] had to fork over a pile of cash. But that does nothing for our democracy.
“What we need is Fox News personalities to look straight into the camera, admit they lied over and over again about the 2020 election, and then hurl themselves into Mount Doom,” the funnyman added.
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