I know the adage, “opinions are like a**holes, everybody’s got one,” but seriously, legal opinions are generally limited to people with a legal education, at the bare minimum. In the case of Donald J. Trump, his self-admitted level of analytical skills begins and ends with person, woman, man, camera, TV.
I think where Trump is going with this is that, like any spurned lover, he wants the lover back. How he believes that is going to happen, I haven’t the slightest idea.
It’s well known that back in the day Rupert Murdoch used to refer to Trump disparagingly. He didn’t like him. Paul Ryan doesn’t like Trump now, either. Maybe he never did. Trump’s cannon is leveled squarely at Ryan.
He sure isn’t happy with the Fox revelations that they all knew the “Stollen” election was a scam. pic.twitter.com/hDRUseAeH7
— Ron Filipkowski 🇺🇦 (@RonFilipkowski) March 2, 2023
Fox behaved abysmally and perhaps illegally as well. That’s being adjudicated currently.
Trump says that Murdoch is “going against his news anchors” and that’s something you’re going to see more of. My prediction? Maria Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro are history. I base this conclusion upon the fact that Murdoch named them, plus Sean Hannity, as perpetrators of the stolen election fable. I don’t think Hannity is going anywhere, but the other two are toast. Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott may go as well. Puck News:
Yes, several of the network’s hosts and guests had endorsed Trump’s false narrative about a stolen 2020 election, Murdoch acknowledged under oath last month, according to the newly revealed testimony. And, yes, he could have stopped the lies from airing, but didn’t. And yes, he did it for business reasons. “It is not red or blue,” Murdoch said of the decision to continue featuring one guest who peddled lies about the election. “It’s green.” The remark, beyond its grotesque admission, sounded like something Aaron Sorkin might have left on the cutting room floor.
Murdoch’s shockingly candid deposition hardly guarantees that Dominion Voting Systems will succeed in its effort to prove Fox liable for defamation, but it certainly improves their position. Fox has long argued, not unreasonably, that it was justified in airing White House officials’ claims about voter fraud because the claims of those officials were inherently newsworthy, no matter how batshit crazy.
The correspondence revealed last month between Fox News executives, producers, and talent provided ample evidence that the network was well aware that these officials were hawking false claims about election fraud, and they let them hawk away regardless. But Murdoch’s testimony goes further, providing an acknowledgment from the chairman himself that he didn’t act to stop the baseless claims, and that at least four of his hosts endorsed those claims (Lou Dobbs “a lot,” Sean Hannity “a bit”). The most pressing question, of course, is what happens next—for Fox, for C.E.O. Suzanne Scott, and for the Murdochs.
Fox has filed a motion for summary judgment that seeks to reduce Dominion’s damages claim, presumably in a bid to induce the company to agree to a less financially damaging out-of-court settlement. (The generosity of Fox’s insurer remains one of the less examined parts of this case, though I’m sure it’s weighing heavily on the mind of chief legal officer Viet Dinh.)
But it takes two to settle, and Dominion currently seems more intent on exacting revenge on Fox Corp. and moving the case to trial before a jury—which, in light of Murdoch’s statements and the available evidence, now seems more likely to happen.
Once there, Dominion will have to prove that Fox was not only behaving maliciously, but also that the alleged malice had a material effect on their business. The consensus among media executives and legal experts I spoke with is that they will succeed. “They are totally fucked,” one veteran media executive said of Fox. “[Murdoch] screwed himself and the company,” said another. […]
In the testimony made public this week, Murdoch was asked what the consequences should be when Fox News executives knowingly allow lies to be broadcast. “They should be reprimanded,” Murdoch replied. “Maybe got rid of.”
As of now, there is no indication that anyone is on the chopping block at Fox News. But it’s not hard to see who might be in line for a sacrifice in the event that things get worse: Scott, the chief executive, would of course be the most obvious candidate to play the Rebekah Brooks role this time around.
And on the talent side, there are the three hosts in addition to Dobbs who Murdoch identified as endorsers of the voter fraud lie: Hannity, Maria Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro. (On Tuesday, Trump accused Murdoch of “throwing his anchors under the table.”)
Like the broken clock, Trump is right about the anchors going under the table, or under the bus, in the unemployment line in all events. And probably Suzanne Scott along with them. Murdoch saw the ratings go down and flipped. He admitted that in court. Click the link and read this article in full and you’ll see it. The Murdochs were “so terrified by the loss of viewers to rival networks that they were willing to abandon truth for a dalliance with conspiracy. In testimony, Lachlan said the ratings decline kept him up at night.”
How anyone who is worth $8 billion would lose sleep at night over ratings if beyond me. Utterly beyond me. But I guess whatever level of economic prosperity you’re at, the goal remains the same, keep what you’ve got and get more, anyway you can.
Tucker was just as guilty. But Murdoch isn’t dumping him. Ha!
Interesting that it seems he is more willing to dismiss women than men. He hasn’t even mentioned Tucker Carlson or Laura Ingraham. In my mind, they are some of the major players in this nonsense.
The last anchor they dumped was a woman. I can’t remember her name, but she was one of the “COVID is a hoax to get back at Trump” crowd and when mid March, 2020 came, she was canned. I think it will be hilarious if they can Pirro.
Didn’t some people claim thay weren’t ‘news programmes’ but ‘entertainment’ ones?
Or was it ‘political commentary’ or some such rubbish?
I have a feeling there will be a few job cacancies coming along in a certain cable channel (or it will be rebranded under the Brit equivalent ‘Sky News’ (another Murdoch stranglehold)
I would like to see Dominion win the case completely—-and be awarded an additional $3.4 billion in punitive compensation. And, in conjunction with any judgment, if Fox tries to keep a “news” show/station that they are not allowed to use the word “news”—-it must be Fox Entertainment” or “Fox Opinion”, etc. It’s called truth in advertising….
Many people join you in this sentiment. I have always said that a simple chyron saying “this is opinion/entertainment, not hard news” running under Tucker Carlson’s show would do wonders.
As far as tRump and legal opinions, do you remember when he was running for office the first time and said he understands more about computers than most people. He is a legend in his own mind. There is not a topic he doesn’t know, just ask him.
He said that? It’s well known that he doesn’t even operate a laptop or anything simple.
I love stollen. My husband makes it at Christmas every year. So good for Xmas morning breakfast t!
Trump? He needs to be in a,white jacket with extra long sleeves and cared for in a nice padded room where he can no longer harm others or himsekf. A ball gag might be necessary, though.Gillian Fitzgerald
My mom was nuts about all things Christmas and was famous in town for her stollen. She’d make a lot, giving it out to people at church and so many others. Oddly enough I didn’t see what the big deal about it was, but others ssure as hell looked forward to it every year. Fortunately mom made other baked goodies that I thoroughly enjoyed. And we kids of course would help her out with a lot of that. But a couple of things including stollen was her own doing and no one else was allowed to take part. (Another was her pies, and again she was well known for the meringue which boht in taste and the height was awesome. A couple of my friend’s moms were pretty damned good cooks and bakers and mom was more than willing to try and help them duplicate what she did but no one else could get it like hers)