CNN
–
This is that.
The Century Media Honor and Am Loss Trial is on a cliff kicking off in Wilmington, Delaware a few days later.
The selection of ju appraisals for the Dominion Voting System was held on Thursday, with 300 potential ju appraisals summoned to court. There have been good progress and the judge pointed out that there are “sufficient ju judges” to start the trial as scheduled for Monday.
There, in Courtroom 7e, Murdoch Media's biggest figure, accompanied by a crowd of powerful lawyers, tries to make their defense after not persuading the judge to throw a now-historic case.
A version of this article was first featured in the “Reliable Sources” newsletter. Sign up for our Daily Digest, which records the evolving media landscape here.
Frankly, writing those words is extraordinary. When I saw the Fox News broadcast elections in the aftermath of the 2020 election, I never thought the network would be responsible in a meaningful way.
I've covered Fox News for a while now. I watched thousands of hours of programming on the right-wing channel. I have seen that hosts undermine public health for many years.
The network always seemed to find a way to overcome the controversy, even the hellish storm it faced. Sometimes it's even stronger and more encouraging than before.
But this time it's different. This time, the usual tricks that change networks during times of crisis will not free it from trouble. This time, in court, the network must propose an honest, fact-driven argument.
Fox News is about to enter the True No Spin zone where deceptions are strictly prohibited. If you are not in charge. And top executives like Rupert Murdoch and Suzanne Scott, as well as hosts like Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity, can't simply ignore comments and relying on air attacks on “media.”
In this setting, you cannot casually tell lies, distort the truth beyond reality, and you cannot fit into an injustice story. It's fascinating to see how the network carries fares. If the pre-trial hearing is some kind of indicator, it is not pretty. The case has not started and the judge has already lost his patience with Fox's legal team and has informed him.
Perhaps the wind will change due to Fox News if a judge gave up a giver at trial on Monday. But if they unfold as the courts have in the last few weeks, Fox News becomes a brutal vehicle.