Fox and Dominion reach settlement.

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Kevin M.

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Apr 18, 2023, 4:57:03 PM4/18/23
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Fox owes over 3/4 of a billion and admits they failed as journalists. 

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Kevin M. (RPCV)

PGage

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Apr 18, 2023, 5:08:48 PM4/18/23
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They got off cheap. Part of me wanted to see Murdoch and son and all their on air “talent” cross examined under oath. But another part of me is glad we won’t have to see a verdict against Fox which, even though completely justified and satisfying the very high bar set by SCOTUS, would have weakened the protections we want to give the Press.

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Kevin M.

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Apr 18, 2023, 7:29:34 PM4/18/23
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To be crystal clear: I don’t want to give the press the protection to repeatedly blatantly lie about the voracity of elections without any evidence to substantiate it, which indirectly resulted in an insurrection against the government. The press ought to face consequences for lies. They ought not be protected for lies. 

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Kevin M. (RPCV)

Brad Beam

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Apr 18, 2023, 7:59:59 PM4/18/23
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Next up for Fox News at the courthouse in Wilmington: Smartmatic, who’s asking for $2.7B.

https://www.newsnationnow.com/entertainment-news/media/what-we-know-smartmatic-lawsuit-fox/

PGage

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Apr 18, 2023, 11:58:49 PM4/18/23
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As I said, Fox got off cheap. If this goes to trial they likely lose, and pay much more, perhaps a hell of a lot more (no limits on punitive damages in Delaware). And they would have deserved to lose, as this is about as pure a case of actual malice as we are likely to see.

But, in the US we do, correctly in my view, put the bar very high for punishing the press for inaccuracies. A guilty verdict in this case, even though justified, would have had a chilling effect on the legit press,, and encouraged right wing crazies to launch even more sting operations to trap mainstream media into reporting something untrue.

This settlement manages to significantly punish Fox while not formally setting a precedent which could have been abused down the road, so while less than satisfying, it s probably for the best.

Kevin M.

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Apr 19, 2023, 12:26:19 AM4/19/23
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On Tue, Apr 18, 2023 at 8:58 PM PGage <pga...@gmail.com> wrote:
As I said, Fox got off cheap. If this goes to trial they likely lose, and pay much more, perhaps a hell of a lot more (no limits on punitive damages in Delaware). And they would have deserved to lose, as this is about as pure a case of actual malice as we are likely to see.

But, in the US we do, correctly in my view, put the bar very high for punishing the press for inaccuracies. A guilty verdict in this case, even though justified, would have had a chilling effect on the legit press,, and encouraged right wing crazies to launch even more sting operations to trap mainstream media into reporting something untrue.

This settlement manages to significantly punish Fox while not formally setting a precedent which could have been abused down the road, so while less than satisfying, it s probably for the best.

I’m sorry, if Nixon hadn’t been pardoned… if he’d faced justice… we’d have never had a Trump. The court exists for a reason. Precedent exists for a reason. Until wrongdoers are convicted or found liable, they will keep dong the wrongs. A settlement was inevitable, but it is still disappointing and should in no way be confused with justice. 

People being held accountable is an awesome precedent. It would’ve been awesome to have seen Fox as financially bankrupt as they are morally bankrupt. I’ll take the partial win of the settlement, but it only means they won’t learn from it. 


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Kevin M. (RPCV)

Steve Timko

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Apr 20, 2023, 12:14:26 AM4/20/23
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On Tue, Apr 18, 2023 at 9:26 PM Kevin M. <drunkba...@gmail.com> wrote:


On Tue, Apr 18, 2023 at 8:58 PM PGage <pga...@gmail.com> wrote:


I’m sorry, if Nixon hadn’t been pardoned… if he’d faced justice… we’d have never had a Trump. The court exists for a reason. Precedent exists for a reason. Until wrongdoers are convicted or found liable, they will keep dong the wrongs. A settlement was inevitable, but it is still disappointing and should in no way be confused with justice. 

People being held accountable is an awesome precedent. It would’ve been awesome to have seen Fox as financially bankrupt as they are morally bankrupt. I’ll take the partial win of the settlement, but it only means they won’t learn from it. 


 There’s still plenty of other chances to hold people accountable. NewsMax and OAN have also been sued by Dominion. Plus, there’s Rudy Giuliani being sued individually.
One pundit said FOX News’ parent corporation has $4 billion cash on hand. So it’s a ways from being forced into bankruptcy or being forced out of business. But I don’t think that’s true or OAN and NewsMax. Or Rudy Guiliani.
And Smartmatic gets to take whacks at everyone.
I’ve been following libel suits since my early college days in the early 1980s and the one against FOX News is the most one-sided I’ve seen. Libel suits are tricky. New Yorker writer Janet Malcolm fabricated two quotes in an article critical of a psychoanalyst, a jury ruled. But while one of the quotes was fabricated, it had the gist of what the shrink was saying, so Malcolm got a pass. Gen. Westmoreland sued CBS over a piece that Gens. Westmoreland and Harkins intentionally underestimated the strength of the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong. CBS had Westmoreland’s right-hand man confirming it. But what stuck CBS is that even though you’re right, you can’t leave the best part someone’s defense on the cutting room floor.
There doesn’t seem to be anyone who can challenge Trump for the Republican nomination for president. The good news is that these proceedings may declaw much of the right-wing media.

Bob Jersey

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Apr 21, 2023, 10:40:54 AM4/21/23
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Lachlan Murdoch, as a result of the settlement, dropped his defamation suit against the parent of Aussie news site Crikey over a column blaming him for the January 6th attack...
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Steve Timko, to Kevin M and PGage, in part, April 20th:
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