Newsmax, your MAGA step-mother-in-law’s favorite news channel, because Fox News is too liberal anymore, has agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems $67 million to settle a defamation lawsuit.
You’d think $67 million isn’t all that much for a TV network, but the agreement spells out that Newsmax gets 17 months to settle its debt with Dominion, which had sued for $1.6 billion over defamatory statements made by the broadcaster regarding the 2020 presidential election.
You can imagine that a jury ultimately agreeing to give Dominion even what Fox News ended up having to pay to settle its defamation suit might have put Newsmax under.
Damn.
I’m seeing some news outlets reporting on this with a line about how it isn’t clear whether the settlement includes an on-air apology, which seems a moot point to me, given how Newsmax reported on the settlement on its website on Monday.
The article on the Newsmax site whined about its claim that the Delaware judge assigned to the trial, Eric Davis, who also oversaw the trial involving Dominion Voting Systems and Fox News, which saw FNC agree to a $787.5 million settlement, “would not provide a fair trial wherein the company could present standard libel defenses to a jury.
“The Delaware court under Judge Davis effectively enforced a confiscation of our property because our reporting was not always sympathetic to Joe Biden,” Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy said, adding: “The actions taken against Newsmax, and earlier against Fox News, represent a direct attack on free speech and a free press.”
Hoo boy.
Here’s where your step-mother-in-law gets fired up:
“Newsmax believed it was critically important for the American people to hear both sides of the election disputes that arose in 2020. We stand by our coverage as fair, balanced, and conducted within professional standards of journalism,” a statement attributed to “the company” related to the world, fake defiantly.
I say “fake defiantly” because, they’re the ones paying millions to settle a defamation case.
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Chris Graham
