The High Price of Lying (But Is It Still a Steal?)
Fox News paying Dominion $787.5 million is no small thing so why does it still not feel like enough?
Those of us that were following the the defamation suit filed by Dominion against Fox News were eagerly waiting for the trial to begin. After the slew of embarrassing emails and text messages from Fox News personalities mocking Trump and admitting that the conspiracy theories they were pushing was bullshit were revealed during discovery, how much more fun would it be to see Rupert Murdoch, Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, and the rest of the MAGA cinematic universe on the witness stand? Really, really, fun as far as I’m concerned. When news that Fox News and Dominion might be close to settling on Sunday night I know I echoed the sentiment of former Fox News personality Gretchen Carlson.
In the end we didn’t get the legal circus that so many of us wanted to see. Late yesterday afternoon the phones of news junkies across the country lit up with the news alert that Fox News had settled for a historic $787 million. The dream of Tucker Carlson taking the stand and having to admit that he was a lying liar evaporated.
Listen, if I were in Dominion’s position I would have taken the deal. This was $787 million in guaranteed cash. A jury rewarding them anywhere close to the $1.6 billion they wanted was no sure thing. Fox News had already been dragged into the harsh light of the truth and there are more lawsuits waiting in the wings.
Plus, even though they have a reported $4 billion in cash reserves, losing nearly a quarter of that is no small thing. If you had to pay out nearly 25% of your cash on hand wouldn’t that sting a bit?
So why does this sentiment shared by Jon Stewart feels so true?
I can only speak for myself here but it’s because Fox News has done so much damage that anything short of them being sued into oblivion and having to go into bankruptcy feels like a compromise.1 They have been poisoning American politics for over 20 years with lies and conspiracy theories. They have done it for profit and they have done it with glee. They have done it with other journalists defending them as a “sister organization” despite the fact that it was nothing more than a propaganda network at best and a filthy toxic campaign messaging arm of the GOP at worst.
Also, again I can only speak for myself, but they have poisoned the minds of people that I know. From claiming Obama was a secret Muslim to Clinton lies to the 2020 Election fraud to pouring gas on the pile of oily rags that became the January 6th Attack, Fox News has harmed people I know in real life. It has strained relationships with family members and broken friendships with others. It has been a noxious toxic presence in my life.
I don’t think I’m alone here. How many of us have been able to trace bonkers Facebook posts to what Tucker Carlson and company were pushing on Fox News? Now, none of these viewers are without agency. They clearly love the high that Fox News gives them. Still, when you are dealing with addiction you have more empathy for the addict than the pusher. Especially when it is abundantly clear that Fox News not only knew what they were doing when they were frying the brains of their viewers, they did it while getting obscenely wealthy.
So, I’m glad that Fox News has to pay 3/4ths of a billion dollars for being lying liars that lie. I hope they have to pay a billion more. At the same time, if I’m being honest no amount of money will compensate for the damage they have done.
And that sucks.
Of course, Fox News being eradicated could very well make things worse. It’s basically a The Dark Knight scenario in which getting rid of the mob brought forth The Joker. The absence of Fox News could lead to a more popular Newsmax. FNC at least has some loose ties to something resembling a code of ethics.
Excellent summary, Jake! That's exactly how it feels - like money isn't the currency we need FOX News to pay.
I wonder how many older people, like my relatives, were cut off from the world during the pandemic and became addicted to FOX's friendly, healthy personalities. An alternative world where COVID wasn't that scary and you don't need to feel bad about wanting to see your friends in person. I wonder if we'll ever reckon with the craziness of living through a pandemic, or if we'll do exactly what we did in the 1920s and pretend it never happened.