Fox News Stars Won’t Be Forced To Issue On-Air Retractions As Part Of $787.5 Million Dominion Settlement
April 19 2023, Published 7:30 a.m. ET
Fox News admitted it lied as part of the historic $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems — but its millions of viewers won’t hear that.
The network’s highest-ranking stars, chiefly Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity, will not issue on-air retractions despite their lies about the 2020 presidential election, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Dominion had cited 20 specific broadcasts and tweets in which the voting company argued Fox News knowingly promoted lies that it had rigged the presidential election.
Those anchors entangled also included Jeanine Pirro, Lou Dobbs and Maria Bartiromo.
But none of the network’s stars will be forced to issue groveling retractions or apologies to Fox News viewers or Dominion, despite the company initially seeking that as part of the settlement, sources told RadarOnline.com.
“During the settlement negotiations, Fox maintained all along that it would not issue on-air apologies or retractions,” a source said.
“Privately, Fox believed it would have to pay a number, but it wasn’t prepared to willingly do anything to compromise its talent to its audience — or compromise its business.
Added the insider: “The payout might hurt in the hip pocket but the business of Fox News continues.”
Tuesday’s last-second settlement ended a messy two-year legal battle and avoided what was being billed as the media trial of the century.
The witness list for the trial included Fox boss Rupert Murdoch, his son Lachlan Murdoch, and top-rated anchors like Hannity and Carlson.
The settlement — hailed widely in the media as ground-breaking — represents “vindication and accountability,” according to Dominion lawyer Justin Nelson.
“For our democracy to endure for another 250 years, and hopefully much longer, we must share a commitment to facts… Today represents a ringing endorsement for truth and for democracy.”
Fox said in a statement that it “acknowledge[s] the Court’s rulings finding certain claims about Dominion to be false.”
“This settlement reflects Fox’s continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards,” it added in a statement.
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“We are hopeful that our decision to resolve this dispute with Dominion amicably, instead of the acrimony of a divisive trial, allows the country to move forward from these issues.”
The channel's highest-ranking executives and biggest stars, such as Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity, would have been forced to confront how lies they never believed were promoted on the network's air to its millions of loyal viewers.
And RadarOnline.com has been told by sources that the settlement the network reached with Dominion will not require its dishonest personalities to acknowledge reality and issue retractions on the air.
