How would you feel if you are in jail after January 6 because you believed the lies spewed on Fox? In my part of this country there are tens of thousands of MAGA types that may never know about the lies or even there was a settlement. They ‘know’ the election was rigged. There are other possible lawsuits facing Fox and let’s hope they can extract some public accountability in addition to cash.
I read elsewhere that they mentioned this only three times on air yesterday, and only well after leading with other stories on crime and origins of the Covid pandemic. I can only hope coverage elsewhere is so pervasive that even Fox loyalists will be unable to avoid the truth.
Very well said. Too many voters are hypnotized by the Fox fake news channel. I hope independents, who are the people who can make a difference in election outcomes in almost every state, will start unwinding the braids of lies woven into the narrative that Fox has fabricated.
Agree with everything you wrote, Dave! Unfortunately, a trial would not convince the unconvincable, they don't care about the truth and won't accept reality. So long as Republicans need that base and they, themselves, including our own Senators Grassley, Ernst, and Governor Reynolds, don't call this out, nothing will change. And, that isn't about to happen.
Dave, I think you've got the economics wrong. Even if Fox News carried no advertising, it would still be immensely profitable because of the hundreds of millions of dollars of carriage fees cable companies pay Fox. And that's not likely to change until the Comcasts and Mediacoms of the world push back and say it makes no sense to pay a premium for a cable channel viewed regularly by only about 3 million of the 90 million or so cable households in the country.
Hi, Chuck. Good to hear from you. I’m sure you have a good perspective on this. Good point about the carriage fees. And those will continue to feed Fox until there are enough cord cutters to change the economics of television. That’s evolving now but I suspect Fox, much like CNN, ESPN and The Weather Channel will continue to command high fees for a number of years yet. They’re essential networks for any MSO.
My main point is that a lawsuit can accomplish a lot, but perhaps not everything we might want to affect change at Fox. As long as the revenue keeps flowing, they’ll be able to afford paying these high settlements and act like they’ve done nothing wrong. Or at least tell themselves and their viewers that.
Once again, we lean on you for a voice of reason. You don't sound confident that this settlement will change anything for Fox viewers - or much to change Fox. Maybe the most significance impact will be that Fox, et.al. will now think twice before even uttering the words "stolen election". Perhaps every employee of every conservative news outlet got an email yesterday that read: "Kari Lake cannot appear on our network." Indirectly, in that regard, it's a small victory.
What’s unusual about this case, Bob, is that Fox defamed a company. A company with enough resources to fight back. Nothing prevents Trump or Lake from crying “stolen election” at the top of their lungs, and Fox repeating the lie. If Fox, Trump, Giuliani, Powell, et.al. had merely spread conspiracy theories without mentioning names, there’s not much we or the legal system could have done about it. So the cynic in me thinks that in the future, they’ll be careful to avoid naming any person or company that might sue. A nonspecific lie is in some ways even harder to refute. No facts, just wild theories.
Fox cut its losses to prevent further embarrassment, and some lawyers got rich. As much as came out, the full story will never be known. Fox bought Dominion’s silence and the only victim is our democracy and public accountability. Because the lawyers were only accountable to their clients and their clients’ bottom lines.
How would you feel if you are in jail after January 6 because you believed the lies spewed on Fox? In my part of this country there are tens of thousands of MAGA types that may never know about the lies or even there was a settlement. They ‘know’ the election was rigged. There are other possible lawsuits facing Fox and let’s hope they can extract some public accountability in addition to cash.
I read elsewhere that they mentioned this only three times on air yesterday, and only well after leading with other stories on crime and origins of the Covid pandemic. I can only hope coverage elsewhere is so pervasive that even Fox loyalists will be unable to avoid the truth.
Very well said. Too many voters are hypnotized by the Fox fake news channel. I hope independents, who are the people who can make a difference in election outcomes in almost every state, will start unwinding the braids of lies woven into the narrative that Fox has fabricated.
Agree with everything you wrote, Dave! Unfortunately, a trial would not convince the unconvincable, they don't care about the truth and won't accept reality. So long as Republicans need that base and they, themselves, including our own Senators Grassley, Ernst, and Governor Reynolds, don't call this out, nothing will change. And, that isn't about to happen.
Sad but true
Damn is right.
Dave, I think you've got the economics wrong. Even if Fox News carried no advertising, it would still be immensely profitable because of the hundreds of millions of dollars of carriage fees cable companies pay Fox. And that's not likely to change until the Comcasts and Mediacoms of the world push back and say it makes no sense to pay a premium for a cable channel viewed regularly by only about 3 million of the 90 million or so cable households in the country.
Hi, Chuck. Good to hear from you. I’m sure you have a good perspective on this. Good point about the carriage fees. And those will continue to feed Fox until there are enough cord cutters to change the economics of television. That’s evolving now but I suspect Fox, much like CNN, ESPN and The Weather Channel will continue to command high fees for a number of years yet. They’re essential networks for any MSO.
My main point is that a lawsuit can accomplish a lot, but perhaps not everything we might want to affect change at Fox. As long as the revenue keeps flowing, they’ll be able to afford paying these high settlements and act like they’ve done nothing wrong. Or at least tell themselves and their viewers that.
Amen. Right on David!
Thank you, Bob!
Once again, we lean on you for a voice of reason. You don't sound confident that this settlement will change anything for Fox viewers - or much to change Fox. Maybe the most significance impact will be that Fox, et.al. will now think twice before even uttering the words "stolen election". Perhaps every employee of every conservative news outlet got an email yesterday that read: "Kari Lake cannot appear on our network." Indirectly, in that regard, it's a small victory.
What’s unusual about this case, Bob, is that Fox defamed a company. A company with enough resources to fight back. Nothing prevents Trump or Lake from crying “stolen election” at the top of their lungs, and Fox repeating the lie. If Fox, Trump, Giuliani, Powell, et.al. had merely spread conspiracy theories without mentioning names, there’s not much we or the legal system could have done about it. So the cynic in me thinks that in the future, they’ll be careful to avoid naming any person or company that might sue. A nonspecific lie is in some ways even harder to refute. No facts, just wild theories.
Was hoping the FCC would strip Fox of its broadcasting license.
Sadly, the FCC only licenses broadcast stations that use the public airwaves.
Fox cut its losses to prevent further embarrassment, and some lawyers got rich. As much as came out, the full story will never be known. Fox bought Dominion’s silence and the only victim is our democracy and public accountability. Because the lawyers were only accountable to their clients and their clients’ bottom lines.