Talk about denying us a grand finale. Moments before the defamation ‘trial of the century’ was due to begin, media giant Fox News announced last night it had settled the lawsuit from the voting machine company, Dominion, over its reporting of the 2020 presidential election. In a last-minute settlement before trial, the network agreed to pay £634 million, just under half the £1.3 billion initially sought by the firm. It spares Fox chairman Rupert Murdoch from having to testify but comes at significant cost and the embarrassment of the network acknowledging ‘the court’s rulings finding certain claims about Dominion to be false.’ Dominion 1, Murdoch Empire 0…
The voting company got to enjoy their moment in the sun too, with Dominion chief executive John Poulos telling a press conference that the deal included Fox ‘admitting to telling lies, causing enormous damage to my company.’ Justin Nelson, the firm’s attorney, also told reporters that ‘the truth matters’ and that ‘lies have consequences.’ Fox, for their part, released a statement claiming that the settlement reflected its ‘commitment to the highest journalistic standards’ – a phrase that made CNN anchor Jake Tapper burst into laughter on air. And, for Fox, the embarrassment doesn’t end there. It still faces a second, similar defamation lawsuit from another election technology firm, Smartmatic, which is seeking almost £2.2 billion.
Unlike Succession, this TV drama shows no sign of ending just yet…
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