“Defamation Case of the Century”, As described The New York Times, will not take place. For this, American chain Fox News will pay electronic voting machine company Dominion 787.5 million dollars (approximately 718 million euros) to avoid going to court over its controversial coverage of the 2020 presidential election in the United States.
“We are pleased to have reached a resolution to our dispute with Dominion Polling Systems.”In a statement, the American conservatives’ favorite chain said a last-minute deal between the parties was reached by a judge presiding over a hearing before a high court in the United States on Tuesday, April 18, shortly after the announcement. State of Delaware.
Even before the discussions, the process led to an embarrassing unpacking for Fox News, with the release of emails or text messages exchanges showing that even the chain’s stars and big boss Rupert Murdoch did not believe in November 2020. In the context of a rigged election, allegations grew in the air.
“Lies have consequences”, Dominion’s attorney, Justin Nelson, publicly announced the famous amount that Fox News agreed to pay. The firm he defends initially asked for $1.6 billion, more than twice what it will receive.
Dominion boss John Poulos told Fox News “Admitted to lying” those who have “It has caused great damage to my business, our employees and our customers.”. “Nothing Can Fix This”he added.
Rupert Murdoch won’t take a stand
Chain for its part, “Consider Court Decision Finding Certain Claims About Dominion False”The judge announced in an order dated March 31 “It is clear that there is no emphasis on Dominion in the 2020 election [n’était] True ».
The deal also spares 92-year-old Rupert Murdoch, whose Fox News media empire is the flagship channel, from possibly testifying at the bar. With jury selection wrapping up Tuesday, deliberations were about to begin in earnest.
Dominion, which operated in twenty-eight states in the presidential election won by Joe Biden, was a pet of Donald Trump’s close guard, who long and baselessly accused him of ballot fraud. Many Donald Trump voters still believe the election was stolen from them, and that protest ended on January 6, 2021, when thousands of his supporters stormed the Capitol, the heart of democracy. November 2020 election.
If the court case were found to be strong, the company would still have to establish a deliberate intent to lie to Fox News, and the jury would have to reach a unanimous verdict.
Freedom of expression
The trial was eagerly anticipated in the United States, where it was seen as a test of the limits of freedom of expression, guaranteed by the Constitution’s First Amendment and the fight against misinformation. Essential in the conservative camp, but constantly accused of echoing conspiracy theories, Fox News played big and wanted to turn the investigation into a symbolic case for press freedom. For the chain, giving the Trump camp a platform when he contested the polls was legitimate and “Essential to the Search for Truth” All parties should be allowed to express themselves.
But Dominion relied on internal debates to argue that Fox News deliberately lied so Donald Trump won its audience. A “Really crazy stuff. and harmful”In November 2020, Rupert Murdoch wrote to Fox News boss Suzanne Scott about Trump’s fraud allegations.
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“We need to fire her.”One of the channel’s stars, Tucker Carlson, is speaking out about a Fox News journalist’s tweet that dismissed allegations of fraud. “This is affecting the business significantly. The stock price is down. This is no joke.”, he added. Fox News accused Dominion News of truncated and biased selection.
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