THREAD
The latest filing by Dominion Voting Systems in its defamation suit against Fox nails something critics have long argued for.
Fox is not a news organization. It's something else.
But what is this other thing? In this thread, I will try to answer that.
Next slide, please. 1/
The Dominion suit establishes that Fox stars (like Tucker Carlson) and executives (like CEO Suzanne Scott) were fearful and enraged when some of their own people blundered into delivering a true and accurate report about the 2020 election.
Think about that for a moment. When its own talent reported the facts truthfully, the result was an atmosphere of crisis in the company.
This is one way we know that Fox is not specifically a news organization.
There are others... 2/
Erik Wemple of the Washington Post shows how reponsible behavior by a wayward presenter, Neil Cavuto, was treated by company executives as a "brand threat."
If responsible journalism can be a threat to your brand, then it's not a news brand you have cultivated.
It's something different. 3/
Below is Brian Stelter with another story from Dominion's latest filing.
A truthtelling journalist at Fox was thought by Tucker Carlson to have committed a firing offense. Her crime: seeing no evidence for Trump's stolen election claims she said on Twitter "there is no evidence." 4/
Click through to see Jacqui Heinrich's "crime" and you will see what I mean.
https://twitter.com/jacquiheinrich/status/1327354119439470592?s=46&t=nr4aN_Oyhjkkw-TifvNatA
It is a very careful, limited statement. Mild pushback. But Tucker Carlson felt panic over it, and demanded her head.
This kind of behavior exposes a weakness for Fox.
Keepers of a resentment machine— for that is what Fox is — may suddenly find the resentment coming straight for them. 5/
“Dominion Voting AND top election infrastructure officials categorically deny this. “The November 3rd election was the most secure in American history... There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised.””
"Sidney Powell is lying," said Tucker Carlson to his producer.
"Sidney Powell is a bit nuts," said Laura Ingraham to her colleagues.
But they did not share this view with their audience.
Defenders of Fox get a lot mileage out of describing its evening line-up as the "opinion side" of the operation.
But that's not accurate either. About Sidney Powell the prime time stars withheld their opinions. Meanwhile the bookers at Fox placed her on show after show. 6/
See: https://www.npr.org/2023/02/20/1158223099/fox-news-dominion-wackadoodle-election-fraud-claim
If Fox is not a news organization — to me it's not — and it is not "opinion," either (because the Dominion filing shows the hosts are frightened to share their opinions) then what is it, exactly?
Some common answers I receive:
It's entertainment, a lot like professional wrestling.
It's propaganda; what else do you need to know?
No, Jay, it's just ratings.
7/
Jay Rosen
Dan Gillmor
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