Third Party Regulation (Dominion vs. Fox)

In 2020, the biggest thing in western media was the ongoing presidential election of Trump v Biden. Many controversies arose around the elections. It first came into play, when former president Trump claimed that he won the election prior to the vote count being finalized. After the votes were finalized and Biden won, this was followed with Trump making allegations of voter fraud and election rigging. One of the most notable cases was the lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems against Fox News, alleging that the network had defamed the company by repeatedly broadcasting false claims that its voting machines had been used to rig the election in favor of Joe Biden. 

The lawsuit alleged that Fox News had made these claims without any evidence, and that they had done so knowing that they were false. The network's hosts and guests had repeatedly claimed that Dominion's machines had been hacked by foreign actors, and that they had been used to flip votes from Trump to Biden. However, no evidence of any of these claims was ever produced. 

In 2023, after a three-year legal battle, Fox News settled the lawsuit for $786 million. This was the largest settlement ever paid in a libel case. The settlement was a major victory for Dominion, and it sent a strong message to other media outlets that they could be held accountable for spreading false information about election fraud.

In the wake of the settlement, Fox News fired one of its most popular hosts, Tucker Carlson. Carlson had been a vocal supporter of Trump, and he had repeatedly made false claims about the election. His firing was seen by some as a sign that Fox News was finally taking responsibility for its role in spreading misinformation about the election and can be seen as a form of self-regulation.

The Dominion case is a reminder of the power of the media, and the responsibility that media outlets have to report the news accurately. It is also a reminder that there are consequences for spreading false information, especially when it comes to elections.