$787.5 million. That is the sum that the Fox News TV broadcaster has to pay the voting machine company Dominion after an out-of-court settlement on Tuesday. That’s a lot of money; on the other hand, it’s a small price to pay for what Fox News bought for it: its livelihood.
This trial would have primarily been about whether the right-wing populist broadcaster had intentionally harmed the voting machine manufacturer with its demonstrably false reporting on the presidential election in 2020. Dominion had sued for $1.6 billion in damages, and Fox could have paid that too – parent company Fox Corp. has 4.1 billion dollars on the high edge – it would only have been about that, about the past. But there was more to it, Fox News solved all of that with this agreement – because it means that the broadcaster is considered innocent and will market it aggressively.
It was also about the question of what influence Murdoch has on US politics
Specifically, two further aspects would have been negotiated. First: the influence of the broadcaster and thus of media mogul Rupert Murdoch on US politics. Fox News had tried to use as little internal evidence as possible; Judge Eric Davis therefore accused the broadcaster of embezzlement last week. None of that comes out now, so many in the station should breathe easier.
Second, a verdict could have had far-reaching implications for what free speech and journalism mean in the United States; Put simply, you can’t just sue everyone just because you feel vilified by their reporting. Anyone who’s followed the last few campaigns will have a hunch that the next one is going to be a smear show, and that Fox News – a master at it – would like to play a major role in it and stay true to its aggressive anger role. This ensures quotas and thus profit.
Fox News is allowed, and this is the real essence of this agreement, to carry on as before. The 787.5 million dollars are a comparatively low price.