Michael Adkins
Don Lemon of CNN and Tucker Carlson were both fired on the same April day. We know that Lemon’s offense was his misogynism and a long-running battle between the network and Lemon over his diva-like behaviors. His first warning came in 2009 and finally CNN said enough is enough.
We are not exactly certain why Fox canned Tucker. There are three hypotheses.
First, that he was let go because he lied about the 2020 election and innumerable other items. The totality of those who truly believe this can likely be counted on all 10 fingers. Unless Bartiroma, Pirro, Ingraham and Hannity are also fired, that theory holds no validity. The second theory is that the all too damning documents and statements from Carlson proved the Dominion case against Fox News, which led to the $787.5 million dollar settlement. That is far more likely than the idea that Fox and Rupert Murdoch were appalled that Carlson lied. After all, Fox News is to journalism as WWE is to real sports; and the fact this is not the first time Murdoch has settled out of court for lies submitted by one of his news companies.
There is a third hypothesis, which more resembles the Don Lemon case. Carlson had gotten too big for his britches, was sued for his misogynistic behavior with a female staffer and his diva-like behaviors included an attempt to persuade Hannity and Ingraham to refuse to air their programs until certain staff, including one who attempted to fact check the election denier claims, were fired. My best guess is the answer lies in a combination of the second and third theories.
The settlement with Dominion prevented Fox from having to admit to its viewers that their on-air personalities had lied to them. It also prevented Fox from enduring the embarrassment that a highly publicized trial would have produced. Dominion made it clear it had even more damning evidence. Not that it would have mattered to Fox viewers. There is a sizable percentage of Fox viewers who do not care if the network is reporting honestly. This is a group that includes much of the roughly 35% of Americans who have long held anti-democratic views. More on them another day.
But Fox is not out of the woods. It is also facing a lawsuit from Smartmatic USA for identical wrongdoing. Smartmatic demanded an apology. What it got instead was over 100 false and misleading statements and 13 “news” segments claiming Smartmatic “stole the election.” Rupert Murdoch and four Fox board members are also facing a shareholder lawsuit alleging the network breached its own ethical standards and faced reputational risk, all because they wanted to hold on to MAGA viewers who were slipping away to Newsmax and One America News. The litigant declared “…Fox was more concerned about short-term ratings and market share than the long-term damages of its failure to tell the truth.” Even if the shareholder loses his suit, he painted a very clear picture of what Fox News is all about.
Other heads may roll over the multitude of lies about the 2020 election. Newsmax has also been sued by Dominion. Maria Bartiroma was sued by Smartmatic. The “pillow guy,” that bet squelcher, Mike Lindell, faces a Dominion lawsuit. So does Trump attorneys Rudy Guiliani and Sydney Powell.
There is a moral here; the truth will out. The questions are will Fox News and its viewers learn their lesson and do they even care?
Michael Adkins is a former Chair of the Hancock County Democratic Party.
