Analysis: Fox News is about to enter a real no spin zone
cnn
,
Oh! That is the matter.
The media defamation trial of the century is set to begin in just a few days in Wilmington, Delaware.
Jury selection in the $1.6 billion defamation trial of Dominion Voting Systems took place throughout Thursday, with 300 potential jurors summoned to the court. Good progress was made and the presiding judge said there were “more than enough jurors” for the trial to begin as scheduled on Monday.
It is here, in Courtroom 7E, where the biggest personalities of the Murdoch media, along with a bevy of high-powered lawyers, try to defend themselves after repeatedly failing to convince a judge to settle the now-historic case. Will try.
A version of this article first appeared in the “Reliable Source” newspaper. Sign up for a daily digest of the evolving media landscape here.
Frankly, writing those words is extraordinary. When I watched Fox News broadcast after the 2020 election, I never imagined the network would be held accountable in a meaningful way.
I’ve covered Fox News for some time. I have watched thousands and thousands of hours of right-wing channel programming. For years I have watched its hosts undermine public health, make anti-immigrant comments, spread lies and disinformation, and push deranged conspiracy theories that were once reserved for the right wing.
The network always seems to find a way out of controversy, even the most hellish storms it has faced. Sometimes it has emerged stronger and braver than before.
But this time the matter is different. This time, the usual tactics the network resorts to in times of crisis won’t get it out of trouble. This time, the network will need to present an honest, fact-based argument in court.
Fox News is about to enter a true no-spin zone, where fraud is strictly prohibited. Where there is no charge for it. And where its top executives like Rupert Murdoch and Susan Scott and hosts like Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity cannot ignore requests for comment and, instead, attack the on-air “media.”
In this setting, where lies cannot be told carelessly and the truth cannot be distorted beyond reality to fit a dishonest narrative, it will be interesting to see how the network performs. If the pre-trial hearing is any indicator, it won’t be pretty. The case hasn’t even started and the presiding judge has already lost his patience with Fox’s legal team and served them notice.
Perhaps the winds will change for Fox News when the judge holds a hearing on Monday. But if they play out the same way they have the last few weeks in court, Fox News is in for a brutal trip.