Fox faces stain of ‘disinformation engine’ despite settlement

WASHINGTON: Fox News averted a potentially humiliating defamation trial after a last-minute settlement late on Tuesday, but it took a reputational beating that observers said was unlikely to spur the influential broadcaster to tame its “disinformation engine.”

The network, one of the most powerful and profitable in the United States, agreed to a $787.5 million settlement in a lawsuit launched by voting technology company Dominion over its coverage of false rigging claims in the 2020 election.

While Fox News wriggled out of what was expected to be an explosive trial, analysts said the settlement was a rare example that showed there could be a heavy price for blatant disinformation -- even for once-untouchable media giants.

“This can be seen as a wake-up call for live broadcasters and a reminder that there really is a difference between false factual statements, and knowingly broadcasting such false information, and protected speech,” Roy Gutterman, a Syracuse University professor, told AFP.

Dominion, which sued Fox News for $1.6 billion, had alleged that the network promoted Donald Trump´s unfounded claim that its voting machines were used to rig the 2020 election in favor of Joe Biden.

The settlement meant that none of the broadcaster´s high-profile personalities -- including Fox Corporation chairman Rupert Murdoch and hosts such as Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity -- will have to testify.