Fox Corp. settled a defamation suit brought by Dominion Voting Systems, but the company's troubles are far from over.
Exceed$787.5 million in expensesTo end the Dominion case, Fox must now contend with another defamation lawsuit filed by rival voting machine company Smartmatic USA, which is seeking $2.7 billion in damages.
Fox investors are also filing their own lawsuits accusing Rupert Murdoch and other board members of negligenceAllow Fox News to promote election lies,This damaged the network's reputation as a news organization.
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Revelations from emails and text messages disclosed in the lawsuit cast a pall over Murdoch and prominent broadcasters, including Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Maria Bartiromo. Murdoch and others say privately that they knew their exesPresident Trump's "stolen election" claim is false,But they seem more interested in protecting Fox News' huge profits than telling the truth to millions of viewers, according to court documents.
Tuesday's resolution acquits the 92-year-old tycoon; his son Lachlan, a company director; and the inconvenience of standing on the witness stand in a courtroom full of journalists. It will discuss why the network's lies have served Trump and his ardent supporters after the 2020 election.
But the settlement — one of the largest payouts ever in a defamation case —Another blemish marking Murdoch's 70-year legacyA pioneering tycoon who built a global empire from a single newspaper in his native Australia.
The Dominion case is the latest costly scandal for the company, which has spent millions of dollars over the past decade paying victims of phone hacking at Murdoch's now-defunct British tabloid.
"There is compelling evidence that Murdoch is not at his peak," Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a management professor at Yale University, said on Tuesday. Control over the monster Stan."
Sonnenfeld and others argued that Murdoch's own testimony, given during his testimony at Fox studios west of Los Angeles in late January, hurt the company's case. In that testimony, Murdoch acknowledged that Fox News anchors, including Bartirom and Hannity, "endorsed" the lies — far more than passively listening to or refuting the claims of Trump supporters.
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Murdoch went through scandal after scandal. Will the Dominion-Fox News lawsuit be any different?
The media mogul has admitted that he could have prevented conspiracy theorists at Fox News from making false claims by former President Trump and his surrogates that the 2020 election was rigged.
The emails show that Murdoch, the company's chairman, was upset by the allegations of election fraud, calling them "crazy things" - but the lie continued to grow.
Asked during his testimony whether he had the right to stop distorting the facts, Murdoch replied: "I could. But I don't."
This admission shows Fox News management's indifference to the truth and further weakens their position in the Dominion case.
On January 5, 2021, ahead of Trump's rally on the Washington Mall and riots at the Capitol, Murdoch told Fox News anchor Suzanne Scott that Fox primetime anchors Hannity, Carlson and Laura Ingraham might announce "something along the lines of 'The election is over , Joe Biden won," Murdoch reportedly said, noting that "it would go a long way toward ending the Trump myth" that the election was rigged.
Instead, Scott told the lieutenant, "I told Rupert that in private everyone was there - we had to be careful with the show and get the crowd mad, but they knew how to manage."
While other news outlets drool over the details of the case, Fox News has largely avoided it in its programming.
Fox News business anchor Neil Cauto interrupted his regular coverage Tuesday afternoon to announce the settlement and invite media commentator Howard Kurtz to discuss the case live.
"We acknowledge that the court found certain claims about Dominion to be false," the network said in a statement. "This settlement reflects Fox's continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards. We hope our decision to resolve the dispute with Dominion amicably, rather than a bitter split-lawsuit dispute, will allow the country to move forward with these issues."
Tuesday's settlement ended the damaging revelations.
The court testimony that has been released has been heavily redacted, prompting some legal experts to speculate that more bombs could be dropped.
"It's clear that Fox paid to ensure that the evidence was not for public display," said attorney Ryan Saba, a Los Angeles attorney. “There could be more incriminating information on the horizon ... Fox has a lot of power to solve this case.
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Fox News reaches $787 million settlement in Dominion defamation lawsuit
Rupert Murdoch's Fox News has avoided a potentially embarrassing lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems over false reporting on allegations of 2020 election fraud.
Another big blow to the Fox case came late last month, whenDelaware Supreme Court Dommer Eric M. Davis Fox News Defense ReporterStolen election lies are "newsworthy" because they were invented by the president at the time and thus protected by the First Amendment.
Davis said he would not allow Fox to make such an argument at trial.
"The evidence developed in this civil case shows that [it] is abundantly clear that none of the statements made by Dominion regarding the 2020 election were true," Davis wrote in his March 31 decision.
Davis also ruled that the Murdochs must testify if called during the trial, which is expected to last until May.
The question that remains is whether Fox acted recklessly or with actual malice — the standard in defamation cases.
"Now Fox will also refrain from publishing the verdict," Saba said.
Dominion CEO John Poulos called the massive settlement "historic."
"Fox has admitted that it lied to Dominion, which caused tremendous harm to my company, our employees and our customers," Prowse said in a statement. - Nothing will make up for it.
In addition to the upcoming Smartmatic lawsuit, which also accuses Fox News of defamation after the 2020 election, lawyers representing Fox Corp. shareholders. are preparing a lawsuit to seize some of the evidence presented by Dominion.
The first shareholder lawsuit of its kind was filed last week in Delaware.
"Fox executives and managers knew that Trump's claims of election fraud were 'pretty crazy stuff,' as Rupert Murdoch, the head of Fox's media empire, put it, but they pushed their case anyway," the lawsuit filed by Fox said. shareholder. , Robert Schwartz.
"Fox is more concerned about short-term ratings and market share than long-term damage from its failure to tell the truth," Schwartz's lawsuit says. "The board's decision to reach out to viewers by promoting fake, stolen election results exposed the company to public ridicule and adversely affected Fox News' credibility as a media organization that should accurately report newsworthy events."
It's unclear whether the settlement will keep Fox News viewers from tuning in to the popular channel — or whether it will change minds about high-profile anchors. So far, the Dominion lawsuit has not affected the network's ratings.
The judge announced the settlement three minutes before the market closed. Fox shares closed at $31.20, down 2 cents.
"Fox has done a good job of not releasing any information about this case on their channel," said former Fox News contributor John Ellis. - It's like old East Berlin.
But the network is in trouble because Trump currently leads the polls among likely Republican presidential candidates in 2024. Documents released in the Dominion case show Murdoch and others are willing to put Trump in the back seat.
For example, Carlson privately admitted in his messages that he hates Trump.
"I hate him so much," Carlson said in a text message.
But Ellis and other experts say such announcements are unlikely to change Fox News' mainstream ratings — largely because Fox outsells other conservative-leaning channels.
"The fact that Tucker Carlson was attacked by this polling company didn't really get much public attention," Ellis said. "Tuck is their man."
"Their audience will get over it," added Saba.
The Dominion case is not the first time Fox News has been accused of pandering to conspiracy theories.
The network has provided a platform for past false claims — including Trump'sThe baseless claim more than a decade ago that President Obama was not born in the United States,Or falsely blame Seth Rich, the young DNC aide who was murdered in Washington in 2016.Because Hillary Clinton's emails were leaked.
Fox News paid his family millionsequipsolve the matter.
FAQs
Who owns Fox News now? ›
In 1981, Murdoch bought The Times, his first British broadsheet, and, in 1985, became a naturalized US citizen, giving up his Australian citizenship, to satisfy the legal requirement for US television network ownership.
What companies does Rupert Murdoch own? ›Murdoch controls a media empire that includes cable channel Fox News, The Times of London and The Wall Street Journal. Murdoch sold most of Fox's movie studio, FX, and National Geographic Networks and its stake in Star India to Disney for $71.3 billion in March 2019.
How much is Murdoch worth? › What did Fox News do to Dominion? ›Dominion had alleged that the network defamed the election technology company in the wake of the 2020 election, focusing on a series of segments in which Fox hosts allowed lawyers affiliated with Donald Trump to falsely claim that the company had rigged the election against the former president.
Is Fox News still owned by Rupert Murdoch? ›Rupert Murdoch, chairman of the conservative media empire that owns Fox News, acknowledged in a deposition that several hosts for his networks promoted the false narrative that the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald J.
Who owns USA Today? ›...
Daily Mail.
Daily Mail front page on 11 July 2021 | |
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Type | Daily newspaper |
Owner(s) | Daily Mail and General Trust |
Founder(s) | Alfred Harmsworth and Harold Harmsworth |
Publisher | DMG Media |
The Sun is a British tabloid newspaper, published by the News Group Newspapers division of News UK, itself a wholly owned subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.
Who is the richest person in the US? ›- Elon Musk: $146.5 billion.
- Warren Buffett: $107.6 billion.
- Jeff Bezos: $107.3 billion.
- Bill Gates: $103.3 billion.
- Larry Ellison: $102.4 billion.
- Steve Ballmer: $78.5 billion.
- Larry Page: $77.3 billion.
- Michael Bloomberg: $76.8 billion.
Who is the most richest man alive? ›
As of April 1, 2023, the richest man in the world is Bernard Arnault, the CEO and chairman of LVMH of France; he's worth nearly $226 billion. He moved into the number one spot after Elon Musk's fortune fell in late 2022 as shares of electric carmaker Tesla fell.
How much is Mick Jagger worth right now? ›What is Mick Jagger's Net Worth? Amazingly, Mick Jagger's net worth is over $500 million. He has amassed his wealth from songwriting, touring, merchandise sales, acting, and film production. In addition to his career with the Rolling Stones, he's also had a successful solo career.
Can US citizenship be revoked? ›You may lose your U.S. citizenship in specific cases, including if you: Run for public office in a foreign country (under certain conditions) Enter military service in a foreign country (under certain conditions) Apply for citizenship in a foreign country with the intention of giving up U.S. citizenship.
Who is now considered a citizen of the United States? ›Fourteenth Amendment, Section 1: All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.
What is one who is not a citizen of the United States? ›Non-Citizen National: A person born in an outlying possession of the U.S. (e.g., American Samoa or Swain's Island) on or after the date the U.S. acquired the possession, or a person whose parents are U.S. non-citizen nationals. All U.S. citizens are U.S. nationals; however, not every U.S. national is a U.S. citizen.
How much did Fox pay to settle Dominion lawsuit? ›Fox News abruptly agreed on Tuesday to pay $787.5 million to resolve a defamation suit filed by Dominion Voting Systems over the network's promotion of misinformation about the 2020 election, averting a lengthy and embarrassing trial just as a packed courtroom was seated in anticipation of hearing opening statements.
Did Fox News report the Dominion settlement? ›Fox News's last-minute settlement with Dominion Voting Systems on Tuesday earned banner coverage on every television news network but one: Fox News. The $787.5 million settlement was covered only three times by Fox News in about four hours after the settlement became public, amounting to about six minutes of coverage.
How much did Fox settle with Dominion? ›Fox News will pay $787.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by Dominion over election misinformation, averting what would have been a landmark trial. Victory of Defeat?: The settlement was among the highest ever for a defamation lawsuit.
Who is taking over Fox News at night? ›Trace Gallagher (2022—present): Gallagher, who has been with Fox since its inception, serves as Fox News' Chief Breaking News correspondent.
What religion is Rupert Murdoch? ›In spite of his interest in Catholicism and his papal knighthood, however, Murdoch did not eventually convert and so remains a Presbyterian.
Who owns Wall Street? ›
The WSJ is a division of Dow Jones, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.
Who is the target audience of USA Today? ›It has been shown to maintain a generally center-left audience, in regards to political persuasion. USA Today is distributed in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, and an international edition is distributed in Asia, Canada, Europe, and the Pacific Islands.
Who owns the most newspapers in the US? ›Gannett/Gatehouse is the leading newspaper company in the United States based on circulation, with a circulation of over 8.59 million in 2020.
Who controls the media in the USA? ›About the FCC. The Federal Communications Commission regulates interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories.
Who is the biggest shareholder of Fox News? ›The Vanguard Group, Inc.
Who owns Wall Street Journal? ›The WSJ is a division of Dow Jones, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. The paper's primary focus is business and economy but also covers other areas of news. The WSJ has several media platforms, including a daily print paper (except Sunday), web access, tablet and smartphone app editions.
What newspapers are owned by Fox? ›- Fox Corporation including Fox News.
- New York Post.
- The Wall Street Journal.
- Investor's Business Daily.
- realtor.com.
- Move (80%)