Joseph Sabino Mistick: Will Fox’s big payout bring any changes?

If you were looking for Fox News to beat its chest and say “mea culpa” as part of the settlement last week with Dominion Voting Systems, you were probably disappointed. But for many people, there is some comfort in the $787.5  million that Fox agreed to pay Dominion. Dominion’s lawyers and others have called the settlement a good start.

Dominion’s lead attorney, Justin Nelson, said the settlement would be a step toward restoring America’s faith in its elections after Fox showcased the Big Lie that the 2020 election was rigged — night after night since Joe Biden was declared the proper winner.

“This alone can’t do it, right? But this shows that there is accountability, that we showed that if you are caught lying, you will be held responsible,” he said.

Kathy Boockvar, who was Pennsylvania’s secretary of the commonwealth in 2020, certified the 2020 election results that declared Biden the winner in Pennsylvania.

She has faced threats since then, like many truthful election officials across the country, and she was encouraged by the size of the settlement.

Boockvar told the Associated Press, “It would ideally be better to have part of the settlement include admissions of their knowingly broadcasting lies. However, the very substantial amount of this settlement and the strong language from the judge last week speak volumes, and I believe it will help deter future flagrant disregard of the truth of this severity.”

Fox has also damaged itself beyond the financial hit. A series of embarrassing emails were disclosed in discovery that showed that many Fox hosts had broadcast the Big Lie on the air, in spite of personal convictions that there was no proof that the election was rigged.

And two days before the Capitol was stormed by insurrectionists who had been duped into believing the Big Lie, Fox star Tucker Carlson sent a text to a colleague that should make Fox viewers’ heads spin: “We are very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights. I truly can’t wait. I hate him passionately.”

The result last week is all that can be expected from Dominion’s advocates. It is a private corporation that successfully sued Fox to recover for the damage Fox did to its reputation and business. But Fox’s debt to the nation is still outstanding.

Fox has been dealing a lethal drug to its viewers, lies that will destroy our country, creating distrust and making it hard to maintain order. Like any drug dealer, its only concern has been profit, with no regard for the people who have been hurt.

Fox has created a cocoon of lies for the sole purpose of hanging onto its most precious bankable corporate asset: its audience. The country be damned.

Even after the drubbing by Dominion, even with more lawsuits headed its way because of the crazy election conspiracy theories its hosts have peddled, Fox still shows no sign of getting it.

After agreeing to pay Dominion, Fox said, “This settlement reflects FOX’s continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards. We are hopeful that our decision to resolve this dispute with Dominion amicably, instead of the acrimony of a divisive trial, allows the country to move forward from these issues.”

That doesn’t sound like a company that understands the scope of the damage it has done to the country.