CNN
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It’s what it’s.
The libel trial of the century is about to start in Wilmington, Delaware, in a number of days.
Jury choice in Dominion Voting Methods’ monstrous $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit occurred all through Thursday, with 300 potential jurors summoned to courtroom. It progressed properly and the president emphasised that there have been “greater than sufficient jurors” to start out the trial as deliberate on Monday.
It’s there, in Room 7E, the place Murdoch Media’s most essential figures, accompanied by a number of high-powered attorneys, will attempt to mount their protection after repeatedly failing to persuade a decide to listen to the already historic case.
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Frankly, it feels extraordinary to jot down these phrases. Once I watched Fox Information air the election lies after the 2020 election, I by no means anticipated the community to be held accountable in a significant means.
I’ve coated Fox Information for some time now. I’ve watched hundreds and hundreds of hours of programming on the proper channel. I’ve seen its hosts over time undermine public well being, make crass anti-immigrant feedback, peddle lies and propaganda, and push deranged conspiracy theories as soon as reserved for the furthest fringes of the proper.
The community has all the time appeared to discover a strategy to climate controversy, even essentially the most infernal storms it has confronted. Typically he emerged even stronger and extra emboldened than earlier than.
However this time is totally different. This time, the conventional methods that the community resorts to in instances of disaster won’t get it out of bother. This time, in a courtroom of regulation, the community must current an trustworthy, fact-based argument.
Fox Information is about to enter the true No Spin Zone, the place deception is strictly prohibited. The place it isn’t ordered. And the place their high executives like Rupert Murdoch and Suzanne Scott and hosts like Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity cannot merely ignore a request for remark and as an alternative resort to attacking “the media” on air.
On this situation, the place lies can’t be informed casually and the reality can’t be distorted past actuality to suit a dishonest narrative, it is going to be fascinating to see how the community fares. If the pretrial hearings are any indicator, it will not be fairly. The case hasn’t even began and the presiding decide has already misplaced persistence with Fox’s authorized crew and put them on discover.
Maybe the winds will change for Fox Information when the decide guidelines on Monday. But when they play out the way in which the previous few weeks have performed out, Fox Information is in for a tough experience.
