
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The lawsuit by Dominion against FOX News has been settled for $780 million. ; </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As part of the settlement, FOX had to admit that some of their top talents were saying things on air that they privately said was untrue about the outcome of the 2020 presidential election – and more specifically, for claiming that the Dominion voting machines were responsible for millions of votes to be miscounted.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Dominion attorneys said that FOX was forced to admit that they had maliciously lied. ; FOX only admitted that some of the statements made were untrue. ; It is a distinction without a difference.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The settlement was another blow to President Trump’s unrequited claim that the election was stolen by massive vote fraud. ; The FOX case is just another in a series of election fraud claims that failed to be supported in recounts and court actions.  ; </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Even Trump’s own Attorney General William Barr said he had told Trump that the claims were “bullshit.” ; Those are simply the facts – no matter what an individual may personally believe about the 2020 election.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The closure of the case against FOX seems to have two negative outcomes for the news outlet owned by media mogul Rupert Murdock. ; It is a huge embarrassment – and gives critics of the network an opportunity for some we-told-you-so public chest-pounding.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Neither of those outcomes, however, presents an existential threat to FOX. ; While $780 million is a lot of money, FOX – by far the number one cable news network – can make that payment without any need to cut expenses.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">More importantly, how will all the revelations about FOX’s top hosts &#8212; saying one thing on the telly while privately saying the opposite in text messages and emails about the election outcome and about Trump himself – impact on the public? ;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Early indications suggest that the outcome of the case will have little impact on the network’s number-one rating among cable news outlets. ; Even after months of negative publicity in the media, FOX’s dominance of cable news seems as secure as ever. ; It does not appear that any of the personalities involved will be losing their jobs – or their ratings. ; </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Tucker Carlson – who was an unwavering on-air supporter of Trump – referred to the former President as a “demon” in private communications. Even after all that, Carlson conducted a one-on-one friendly interview with Trump.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In the most current ratings, FOX’s audience is still larger than both CNN and MSNBC combined. ; FOX has all twelve of the top dozen cable news programs – with Tucker Carlson and The Five alternately vying for the top spot. ; Gutfeld! – FOX’s nighttime comedy news talk show &#8212; is number one among what is referred to as the “nighttime comedians” on the major broadcast networks.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It may take more time to see the full impact of the Dominion lawsuit – and the similar Smartmatic lawsuit in the wings – to know if all the bad publicity will have any impact on viewership. ; As of now, it appears the answer is “no.”</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">So, there ‘tis.</p>

FOX News Cowed … But Unscathed by $780 million Settlement
