After a review of recent events — please add your own if you have any — this diary has a list of things that can be done to reduce the sway of Fox on our world.
Also, if you have suggestions for any of these sections, please post them in the comments.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
This is super cool! I hadn’t thought of this, but it would be fantastic! Fox in Philadelphia is having its license challenged! Dominic Patten, Deadline
Fox may have forked over $787 million to avoid going to trial in Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation lawsuit over false 2020 election claims, but the Rupert Murdoch-owned company is far from free of the fallout.
Full of excerpts of personal emails from Murdoch himself, a petition has been filed with the Federal Communications Commission to deny the broadcast license renewal of Fox Corp-owned Philadelphia TV station FOX 29 over its parent company’s “misdeeds.” Led in part by former Fox Broadcasting Company executive Preston Padden, the petition from The Media and Democracy Project cites the bracing revelations out of the Dominion case and Fox News’ trumpeting of Trump’s Stop the Steal efforts as perpetuating “false news about the 2020 election.”
“Based on extensive record evidence including internal emails and texts, a court has held that the senior management of Fox Television Stations repeatedly disseminated false news,” the July 3 dated filing states (read it here). “To the best of Petitioners’ knowledge, never before has the Commission been confronted with such a judicial finding against an applicant for renewal of a license to broadcast over the public airwaves,” it goes on to say. ✂️
“Owning a broadcast station is more than a business – it is a public trust,” the 20-page petition adds. “It is crucial to our democracy that broadcasting remain a trusted source of news. A company that knowingly and repeatedly presents false news just to placate its core viewers undermines that sense of trust. The false news presented by Fox has done grievous damage to our country and its citizens.”
I don’t have any idea how likely this is to succeed, but I think it’s so cool! Does anyone else know of any other attempts in other places?
Let’s consider other open lawsuits:
April 11 (Reuters) - A Fox Corp (FOXA.O) shareholder sued Chairman Rupert Murdoch and four other board members on Tuesday, saying they failed to stop Fox News from reporting falsehoods about the 2020 U.S. presidential election that damaged its credibility and prompted lawsuits.
Shareholder Robert Schwarz alleged in the lawsuit filed in Delaware Chancery Court that the directors breached their duties to ensure that Fox followed its own ethical standards and avoided reputational risk, and instead sought to keep supporters of former U.S. President Donald Trump tuned in.
The Smartmatic lawsuit is also open, although it may not come to trial (or more likely, a settlement) for months or even years. You may know that the Smartmatic voting company subpoenaed the tRump campaign (Oliver Darcy, CNN). Now there’s the possibility that Tucker Carlson could be the star witness (Jacob Shamsian, Business Insider)
Carlson may have been a damaging witness for Fox News for other reasons. According to the New York Times, evidence collected by Dominion as part of the lawsuit's discovery process show Carlson sending messages with misogynistic language and expressing some allegiance with a group of white men assaulting an "Antifa kid." The potential public damage would have hit Fox hard and fast. Before a settlement was reached, Dominion had planned to call Carlson to the witness stand.
Still on the horizon is Smartmatic's defamation lawsuit. Like Dominion, Smartmatic alleges that Fox News defamed it when it hosted Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, two conspiracy theorist lawyers. In interviews on Fox News programs, they pushed false claims that Dominion and Smartmatic, two election technology companies, were somehow secretly in cahoots with each other and flipped the 2020 election from then-President Donald Trump to now-President Joe Biden. ✂️
If Smartmatic were to put Carlson on the witness stand — or even just play a deposition video — he could deal a potent blow against Fox News.
I don’t think we can count on Carlson doing the right thing. He’s much more likely to use this leverage against Fox to gain concessions so he can go back on the air somewhere else. On the other hand, Smartmatic’s case must be as good as Dominion’s, so he’s not really needed. And I love seeing how much these horrible people just can’t get along.
LESS RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
Fox has just settled with Abby Grossberg, whose recordings have proved so valuable. Jeremy Barr, Washington Post
Fox News has settled a lawsuit from former producer Abby Grossberg, who accused the network of tolerating a hostile work environment during her time as the chief booker for Tucker Carlson’s show, for $12 million.
“While I stand by my publicly filed claims and allegations, in light of today’s settlement … pursuant to which I have now withdrawn those claims, I am heartened that Fox News has taken me and my legal claims seriously,” Grossberg said in a statement Friday afternoon. “I am hopeful, based on our discussions with Fox News today, that this resolution represents a positive step by the network regarding its treatment of women and minorities in the workplace.”
By resolving Grossberg’s New York-based lawsuit —
on the heels of settling a massive defamation lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million in April — Fox avoids a legal battle that could have shed more light on its office culture. Grossberg’s account of a sexist environment echoed stories shared by several female employees in 2016 and 2017, when powerful network co-founder Roger Ailes and prime-time star Bill O’Reilly were forced out by allegations of sexual harassment. ✂️
On Friday afternoon, Gretchen Carlson said on Twitter that she was “proud” of Grossberg and commented that, “You don’t pay $12m without serious evidence.” Nancy Erika Smith, who represented Carlson, concurred that the settlement paid to Grossberg — whom she called “a brave whistleblower” — is “very significant.”
One condition of the settlement is that Grossberg not refile another lawsuit where she accused Fox of trying to blame her for the 2020 election lies. As Fox has already had to pay out three quarters of a billion to Dominion for its election lies, and is facing another suit from Smartmatic, it’s not surprising they paid a lot to get at least some of it behind them. However, as Ari Melber said in the Friday night edition of The Beat, paying $12 million to an individual is a LOT.
We should remember, too, that Grossberg gave her recordings to Special Counsel Jack Smith.
Also, Geraldo Rivera and Fox have parted ways, albeit with less acrimony than the firing of Tucker. Liam Reilly, CNN
CNN —
Television veteran Geraldo Rivera announced on Thursday that he was leaving Fox News after being fired from the program “The Five.”
“I’m not going to be on ‘The Five,’” Rivera said of the network’s 5 p.m. talk show in a video posted to Twitter. “I’ve been fired from ‘The Five.’”
“And, as a result of that, I quit Fox,” Rivera said in the video filmed from a boat off Long Island’s Jones Beach. ✂️
The announcement comes little more than a week after Rivera said his time as one of the rotating liberal-leaning co-hosts on “The Five” was coming to an end. But Rivera said at the time he would remain with the network as correspondent at large.
I admit that I only learned from this piece of news that Rivera is considered liberal leaning!
On a Friday morning in April, Fox News talk host Jesse Watters walked onstage to a room stuffed with hundreds of insurance executives and agents. Watters was the featured speaker at a breakfast for the Big “I” Legislative Conference, the signature annual event hosted by the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America, where he was invited to participate in an interview with the organization’s retiring president, Bob Rusbuldt. ✂️
Watters, who has a history of making offensive remarks on Fox News, made a crude comment questioning the gender of Vice President Kamala Harris, the people said. The gross attempt at humor prompted some laughs, but also outrage.
Some executives, many of whom planned to attend a diversity and inclusion luncheon later in the day, squirmed in their seats as a wave of awkwardness washed over the audience. Others walked out of the room and conveyed to the trade association that they were appalled at the behavior exhibited by Watters.
Rusbuldt was basically made to retire early as a result of this. But it’s strong evidence that Fox has not changed its ways.
Repeat, and Repeat Some More
Repetition is good. Repetition is good. The other side knows this. They know that if they repeat things, even false things, people start to believe them. Even when they don’t believe them, they sink in, to the point that they feel true, even when people know they’re bullsh*t. Think of all the things you know are false but also know are accepted arguments, because they’ve been repeated so often (trickle-down economics, only a good guy with a gun can stop a bad guy with a gun, etc).
The left is different. We don’t like to repeat things, because it seems rude. And it can seem redundant to repeat truths, because they are self-evident. This puts truth at a disadvantage.
Anyway, I’m repeating truths here. And I’m asking you again to take a few steps to take down FOX News. Because it turns out some people — I’m one of them — need to be nudged more than once before they take action. So here we go:
- Have you already taken some steps? Tell us about them in the comments.
- Have you already taken some steps? Maybe you can do them again. No reason not to contact the FCC more than once. Or your representatives, local, state, federal.
- Have you not taken any steps? See if there’s anything you can do.
- Have you encouraged others to take steps? Do that some more.
- Do the same things again (as long as it makes sense). Because repetition is good.
Here are some suggestions that were posted previously:
JohnathanSwiss
There are 60 million cable subscriptions this year. Ten years ago it was 100 million.
Many of those subscriptions are hotels, sports bars, hospitals and other locations where cable is a part of the business. Most households have cut the chord already.
There is absolutely no excuse for our military to be paying cable subscriptions, however. Biden needs to use an Executive order to get cable out of our military installations. Since the right wing has become an anti-American cult the military should block right wing internet websites from its servers as well.
Inspired by this comment, I emailed President Biden. Here's what I said (and I hope I didn't put my foot in my mouth. I don't ever watch TV so I'm a little clueless).
Dear President Biden,
I am dismayed that our military is paying cable subscriptions for TVs to be blasting in every common space. I urge you to use an Executive order to get cable out of our military installations.
My understanding is that these TVs are almost always tuned to Fox "News," which means our military personnel are constantly being bombarded with extremist right-wing propaganda of the worst kind.
Since the right wing has become an anti-American cult, the military should block right wing internet websites from its servers as well.
Thank you for everything you are doing. I can't tell you how glad I am that you and Kamala got elected, and I support your re-election. Go, Joe!
Best regards, …
Excellent idea. I just did it too.
Here is the link if anyone wants to chime in as well: www.whitehouse.gov/...
➡️ Visit this website Nofoxfee.com. From their website:
URGENT!
Fox is trying to force cable customers to pay more for TV in order to subsidize Fox News’ hateful, deceptive content — the “Fox Fee.”
Your provider could be in negotiations with Fox RIGHT NOW. Unless you tell them to say #NoFoxFee, YOU could be footing the bill for Fox News whether you watch or not.
CONTACT YOUR PROVIDER NOW
Based on previous contract renewals, Spectrum/Charter, Xfinity/Comcast, and Cox could all be in negotiations RIGHT NOW.
Tell them you want them to stand up to Fox's strong-arming and say #NoFoxFee!
➡️Visit this website, Unfoxmycablebox. From their website:
Pay for cable or satellite TV? You’re subsidizing Fox News whether you watch it or not.
Your cable or satellite TV provider pays a subscriber fee to carry Fox News. That cost is passed directly on to YOU.
Every network charges cable and satellite providers a small fee per subscriber; the one for Fox News is extraordinarily high. A typical household pays Fox News almost $2 per month—about $20 per year— via their cable or satellite provider, regardless of whether they actually watch the channel.
In 2023, a wave of big contracts between Fox News and TV providers for subscriber fees are set to expire. These contracts make up a major source of Fox News’ subscriber fee revenue. If we want to stop paying the "Fox fee," now is the time to act.
From Progressive Muse: “AntennaWeb can tell you what channels you can pick up over the air with an antenna. I have an amplified antenna which helps with more distant channels. No subscription required.”
From tallen387: “Even if you don’t subscribe to cable, you can still tell your local cable company that one of the reasons you don’t subscribe to cable at all is because you don’t want your money going to Fox News or any of the other somewhat odious channels you find in the so-called ‘basic package’ (I was against televangelists — another species of pig that has been feasting at that particular trough for a long time — long before Fox News was even on my personal radar). And of course, now that your money is basically helping Fox News pay off an almost certainly onerous judgment against it, you're basically in the position of bailing out the people who should be paying the judgement: Fox News management and the stockholders. The same message should be sent to advertisers: why should consumers buy your product when part of the money they spend is helping to bail out Fox News and insulate Fox News management and stockholders from the consequences of their actions?”
➡️Complain to your cable company. If you have a cable subscription that makes you pay for FOX News, then complain to them now. Tell them you don’t want to pay for a media outlet that lies all the time. Here’s some suggested text:
I’m writing to you to let you know I don’t want to have any of the money I pay you go to FOX News, which is lying to the American public, as determined by Judge Eric Davis. I expect you to reduce my bill by $X.
Even if you don’t have cable for your TV pleasure, but you use a cable company for your internet, you can let them know you’re not pleased if they’re supporting FOX.
➡️ Contact government. If you feel as if that’s not enough, then contact those who have influence on the contract. Contact your governor, contact your mayor, contact your senators and your representatives.
The House, with the Rs in charge, will not help, but the Senate could. Demand hearings, especially the lies exposed by Dominion. Also, some R senators are not pleased by those lies these days. They hate tRump with a passion.
Suggested text:
Dear Senator:
FOX News is pumping poisonous propaganda into the public. Lies should not be tolerated. Judge Eric Davis even found that they are full of lies.
➡️ Write letters to the editor talking about how we’re being forced to subsidize lies that hurt us. Let other people know. Tell them on FB, Twitter, Instagram.
➡️ Afraid no one reads your stuff? Then freewayblog (thanks, freewayblogger)
➡️ Complain to the FCC (thanks, dadadata)
You should contact the FCC if you have complaints or questions about the following issues:
Suggested text:
Dear FCC:
I strongly object to being forced to subsidize FOX News via my cable subscription. They are pumping propaganda for the Republican party. Judge Eric Davis has even found that they are lying. I want my bill to be reduced by these fees.
Also, if you could get them off the airwaves altogether, that would be great.
➡️Do you have connections in the military?
The Pentagon should pull the plug on FOX news. (Mike Lofgren, Jen Senko) At least as recently as a year ago, FOX News was the most popular cable news on the military. From the article:
There is a whole library of information about how Fox News influences mom and dad to become rabid right wingers. This is hardly surprising, because Republican operative Roger Ailes teamed up with media baron Rupert Murdoch for the specific purpose of a purported "news" channel to hype Republicans and malign Democrats.
Less is known about how the network propagates incitement to sedition and refusal to follow lawful orders to members of the military, the very persons charged with upholding the Constitution and national security. And the Pentagon is abetting it.
As to the seriousness of the problem, a former Marine has told the authors: "Right-wing society has captured the military . . . If you walk the Pentagon halls there will be not one TV tuned to anything but Fox." Another source told us that at their Air Force facility, Fox News is always blaring in common spaces during duty hours. Far from always being a service member's choice, the situation is often as at an airport lounge, where everyone is subjected to it like it or not.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has spoken of the need to prevent political extremism in the military. Indeed, the high percentage of service members and veterans among the Capitol rioters is alarming.
How do we get it out of the military? VoteVets has tried, without success, but there seems to be more opportunity now.
It may not be easy. There is the first amendment. Many of the people in the military really like FOX News.
On the other hand, people do recover, at least somewhat, when no longer exposed to the toxic propaganda.
➡️ Go after advertisers (thanks for the reminder, Progressive Muse)
Fox News gets way too much money from cable fees, but it also gets bucks from advertisers. Boycott their advertisers.
Sometimes advertisers are unaware of where their ads are going, as they work through third parties who place their commercials. But one place is tracking this: “The group is called Check My Ads and they have been profiled by media like NPR and Fast Company” (Progressive Muse). You may find helpful information there.
Note I featured them in this diary.
➡️ Turn off the station (thanks Wolvie)
Apparently, there’s something called “TVBGone” — a sort of remote that allows you to turn off the station in public places. I have never used this, and it does seem kind of rude. Maybe some military personnel should get this...
➡️Use the divisions between FOX and tRUmp. This is attacking FOX from the right, or rather from the crazy, but it is one way to weaken them. If you are speaking to tRump lovers who love FOX, let them know that the hosts all hate him.
Even if your FOX-loving acquaintances refuse to believe you, the message sinks in.
👢 Let’s kick FOX “News” when it’s down, so it stops being an existential threat.
➡️Do you have other ideas? Please post them down below.
➡️Have you already done something? Please, tell us your story!
🐦 I do a lot of other writing. A recent offering: Hunters of the Feather, a story about a thinker-linker crow who wants to save birdkind from extinction, and sequels, Scavengers of Mind and the brand-new Familiars of the Flock (They’re really good! They’re really cheap! Buy and review or rate positively! And Hunters is also available on Audible!) Other stories, based on Jane Austen novels — including a new one for lovers of Pride & Prejudice, Mrs. Bennet’s Advice to Young Ladies — and others on Greek mythology, can be found here. All titles are available through Kindle Unlimited, but I only get paid if you turn the pages. (Paperback versions are also available.)
Note that the US Kindle version of Hunters of the Feather is currently being featured on Amazon prime. That means that if you have US Amazon prime, you can download it for free these days!
😆 Now for a reminder that foxes are also beautiful animals, and we should reclaim vocabulary whenever we can. 😆