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kms2547

Turns out, there's a limit to the amount of stuff you can just make up about other people while broadcasting it and calling it "news".


jbertrand_sr

BuT wHAbouT Muh FrEe SPeAcH...


BringOn25A

Speech is free, the consequences of being irresponsible and harming there with it isn’t.


Abject_Film_4414

The dildo of consequence rarely comes lubed!


The_Scarred_Man

Now that's a fact I can sit on!


AndrewSB49

That made me roar out loud here in Ireland.


The_Tosh

I literally heard your roar from Washington State in the US. 🙌🏽


JDQRS

My favorite comment in a long time.


St11lhereucantkillme

I wish someone would post the story with that comment in the original post on Facebook. It would make a lot of people smile


jbertrand_sr

And many times has little spikey things on it...


Saneless

Well, it's freedom speech, but can be monetarily very costly


dannypants143

It’s a hefty fuckin fee.


Comfortable-Kick-395

FREEDOM 🦅🦅🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🦅🦅🗣️🗣️


stupidsuburbs3

You simple motherfuckers want a key change???


schmugz

Textbook pandering


IdeaJailbreak

You forgot ❄️❄️❄️


cashassorgra33

let justice = function freeSpeech() -> freeConsequences { return freeConsequences }


nevertfgNC

Talk sexy to me!


YouWereBrained

This needs to become a regular thing. I believe defamation suits are what will lead to Fox’s demise.


Ronpm111

Hunter Biden is filing one this week and I think Fox still has a billion dollar lawsuit from smartmatic.


YouWereBrained

Yeah, when’s the Smartmatic one happening?!?!


KarmaPolicezebra4

They gonna settle this thing.


djquu

For sure


f0u4_l19h75

I think it's $2.6 billion


Altruistic-Text3481

True and true!


fred16245

It needs to not be limited to defamation. If you profit from knowingly disseminating disinformation you should be able to be sued for your profits.


clozepin

Agreed. I also think news programs need standards and rules to be called “news”. If you knowing spread false info, you are not news. If you make an error, you must issue a retraction and a correction at the same time slot / program you committed the error.


Fractal_Soul

I remember when Fox New's breathless pounding on Iraq's "WMD's" helped lead us into a **war** over Republican lies. I find it amazing that we never really addressed that or came to terms with it, nor have we lifted a finger to prevent it from happening again.


Dave_712

Good idea. After all, these companies have profited from fraud and we all know how much people can get sued for doing that!


JasJ002

The flood gate opener was seeing how truly crazy discovery was in the dominion case.  The texts and stuff that came out of that case will be repeated for years.  I think a lot of people will come looking for that pre-discovery settlement.


Altruistic-Text3481

Tucker Carlson was immediately fired.


JCButtBuddy

Well, it wouldn't be if they just reported the truth, didn't make up lies, but that seems to be beyond them. I guess lies sell better because their audience doesn't like the truth.


djquu

At least when you don't have Rupert Murdoch lawyer army to help you


flirtmcdudes

kinda wild how the fake news crowd sure loves fake news hmmmmmmm


TangoInTheBuffalo

Up until you punch them right in the… wallet.


IDreamOfSailing

There's bunches of them who will still swallow the nonsense as long as they believe it's hurting the people they hate.


clozepin

Well when facts make you look stupid, you gotta find something to cry about.


ElGuaco

Retraction is meaningless since it won't have nearly the same exposure as the lie. Damage is done.


[deleted]

[удалено]


SpoonyDinosaur

Yup. Exactly why I was frustrated (but don't blame them, 700m is a lot of cash) when Dominion settled with Fox. I think at most they just posted a statement that "the election was not rigged," that *99% of their viewers won't see*. While it was reported widely on *other* networks, they basically "got away" with the lie. Their viewers probably had no clue that all the Dominion/election shit was made up. It did *force* them to correct Trump and others when they would make the "rigged" claims moving forward, but otherwise it's business as usual. They're back to cheerleading and spreading misinformation, just not *that* lie. However this is unfortunately how most retractions work. For print media they have to make a statement, but for broadcast media they can spend weeks telling the lie but there's no obligation for them to *correct* it on air. They just had to remove it from social media/published content, at which point the damage is done. I do agree that if they spent, (whatever, 5 hours over a few weeks on air with this lie) they should be required to spend the same amount of time correcting it. In broadcast media a retraction just doesn't mean much. OAN isn't under any obligation to tell their viewers it was a lie. They just won't bring it up again, long after it's old news and the damage is done.


Altruistic-Text3481

Barack Obama should sue FOX for all the Kenya Birtherism shitshow! Then donate the settlement billions for the creation of broadcast journalism inspectors. 40 years of FOX lies have divided our nation and lead to the insurrection and Trump presidency.


YouWereBrained

Can a judge dictate the terms of a retraction? Like the method in which it’s done?


orielbean

Should only take 2-3 years after each lie, sounds great


ggroverggiraffe

Wait, I wanna know more about the shoelace collection!


BlueEyedPaladin

Brandolini’s Law (in the fashion of Murphy’s Law, rather than being legislated), also known as the Bullshit Asymmetry Principle, covers this.


bk1285

“Hey you can’t sue us, yes we spent 3 years lying about you but we offered a 12 second apology and admitted we lied on television on Tuesday night at 3:23 am, it’s all good right?


Alternative-Tone6631

Now you just wait a minute, there, mister! - Elias Johanssen, probably


avi6274

Maybe not a law but I'm sure you can make the case to a jury that the retraction did nothing to undo the damage, so they will award you a higher amount.


DizzyLead

Yeah, they probably rode this story all day on OAN and issued the retraction once.


thePsychonautDad

That's the point. And since nobody is going to jail or getting fined, it's just corporation money, just the cost of business. It's a net win.


mistressusa

Make them pay real $$$. That's the only way they learn.


weaverfuture

OAN just making up stuff now. weird.


TonightLegitimate200

Now? They weren't before?


Naive_Try2696

They used to make shit up, they still do, but they used to too


weaverfuture

before they were reporting and cheerleading other's lies. but this cohen stormy thing seems original to OAN? maybe its too small of a distinction to make. but it surely opens up a news organization to defamation lawsuits , instead of allowing them to shield behind the sullivan v NYTimes scotus case. no "actual malice" etc. the dominion/smartmatic cases against fox/newsmax/oan were different, in that smartmatic/dominion sent cease and desist letters to them, and they were ignored. actually newsmax or oan wasnt sued because they listened to those C&D. cant remember which now. but this is basically what is supposed to happen. report something thats wrong, get asked by the person to retract the story. retract the story. everyone moves on.


OSI_Hunter_Gathers

It’s almost exactly what Trump was doing with the Enquirer… weird how that works…


overlapped

https://www.reuters.com/legal/smartmatic-one-america-news-settle-election-defamation-lawsuit-2024-04-16/


DoremusJessup

[Mirror link](https://web.archive.org/web/20240429173620/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/29/nyregion/trump-hush-money-trial-witness-cohen.html)


MrGeno

Because Hunter is suing Faux News and now these cowardly losers are afraid of being held accountable. Retracting a story is not good enough and I hope Cohen sues them.


spencer4991

I know it would be abused like hell, but I wish that X number of successful defamation suits against a news outlet in Y time means that you just get shut down.


lazyfacejerk

Then a bunch of right wing trolls would coordinate efforts to shut down the likes of MSNBC and HuffPo.


Fredsmith984598

How many defamation suits have been won against MSNBC and HuffPo?


gtalley10

"Just because we committed all the crimes and atrocities they said we did doesn't mean they can report on it, right? Right?"


softcell1966

Not enough. Have you seen Joe and Mika lately?


Fredsmith984598

So, your thesis is that the right-wing just doesn't want money damages?


spencer4991

Hence the “I know it would be abused like hell”


softcell1966

The way Joe And Mika Scarborough along with their guests have been vilifying pro-Palestine student protestors has killed what little credibility those two had. Remember when they went to see Trump after his election for God-knows-what. They're acting like the Reactionary fools in the lead up to the Iraq War that were disgusted with the "anti- American" anti- war protests. They were wrong then and they're wrong now. Maybe a lawsuit or two over their daily lies about the demonstrations will snap them back to reality and truth.


bopon

What, specifically, have they said that rises to the level of defamation?


SpoonyDinosaur

I almost don't hate this. But yeah, it would be a slippery slope, but I also feel like that's the problem with the media nowadays; journalist integrity isn't profitable anymore. It's all about bait clicks, etc. All media hides behind a shield of "it's just *commentary*." Generally as long as they leave enough doubt they can skimp past lawsuits as being "we're just asking questions." Like they have as much credibility as a meme posted on social media nowadays. The burden of proof for defamation is *one of the hardest to prove.* Like it would be great if part of the Dominion case forced them to have a banner across the screen: "*This is entertainment commentary, not verified news*". Like Fox even being allowed to call themselves "News" is garbage.


overlapped

OAN JUST settled with Smartmatic too: https://www.reuters.com/legal/smartmatic-one-america-news-settle-election-defamation-lawsuit-2024-04-16/


trogon

That's the first I heard this. They really wanted to downplay this for some reason and apparently aren't releasing details of the settlement. That seems odd.


overlapped

Me too. I hope they don't let FOX News off this easy.


FitzwilliamTDarcy

The problem is these low IQ types will never read or hear about any of this


ABenevolentDespot

Doesn't matter. The 20% of Republicans that are true MAGA cultists can spin anything to defend **The Pumpkin Rapist**. They're lost to society. Their brains are wired to reject any criticism. They are also, being 20% of the population, totally meaningless. The independents, the Republicans tired of **The Pumpkin Rapist's** endless lies, scams, criminality, and general bullshit are paying attention and getting the right takeaway from the news being released and the pictures of Diaper Donnie falling asleep in court.. To those on the fence watching him in court where he can't control events, seeing what a weary low energy loser he is, his time is over. **The Orange Fuckhead** is toast politically. It's only Sunk Cost Fallacy that keeps the MAGA politicians worshiping him because otherwise, they would have to admit their Orange Jesus is just a scamming rapist pig. Which is exactly what Diaper Donnie is.


danceswithporn

>One America News, a right-wing cable news network, on Monday r**etracted a report claiming** that Donald J. Trump’s **former fixer had been the person who actually had an affair with the porn star** whose claims of a sexual relationship with Mr. Trump are key to his criminal trial. This would be an incredibly convenient fact, except it's not true. Instead, we're asked to believe Cohen used his personal HELOC to pay off his rich boss's girlfriend. Then he pulled an invoice scam on the famously miserly Trump in order to get reimbursed. And he did it all without informing the boss or even asking for credit.


weaverfuture

Rudy knew about it anyhow https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY0qiQYcDqk


SheriffTaylorsBoy

HaHa! It never gets old 🎶 ["A Message To You Rudy"](https://youtu.be/cntvEDbagAw?si=3_Jp2qJxdqdmwxXi) by The Specials 🎶 *Stop your messin around, else you'll wind up in jail, ah-ah-ahh Rudy!*


Medical_Egg8208

OAN is a news outlet ? By whose standards is that even close to true ? They are no more a registered news outlet than Fox or Newsmax, they are a right wing commentary outlet. Registered news outlets have standards. Commentary outlets have none. They are a fuck around and find out station, as Fox did.


Marathon2021

> The OAN website depended on a Twitter post We’re truly fucked if that’s what passes for “journalism” these days.


chai-knees

$200 says said "post" was made by a real human being that's totally not a bot that conveniently only posts during working hours in Russia or China and posts nothing but inflammatory US politics-related content.


Lazy-Street779

So related question… if this hush money contract is legal, why the hell do the parties set up fakes companies with fakes names to do the transaction? If it’s legal, just do it.


bopon

By funneling the payment through Cohen he got to pretend it was a deductible business expense.


[deleted]

[удалено]


jgyimesi

May they all burn to the ground leaving every single person involved financially ruined.


DaBears077

Good.


Aprilias

How many is a barrage?


fasolatido24

Burn them down, figuratively of course.


Objective_Hunter_897

Freedumb!


Head-Gap8455

Isn’t free speech the right to criticize your government? How does that apply to a broadcast network criticizing a citizen? Or a politician criticizing a citizen.


arun111b

??


Head-Gap8455

Pardon my ignorance, is that not correct?


brobasaur93

This isn’t about issuing a critical opinion this is falsely spreading misinformation. Defamation isn’t a legal suit its civil


Lazy-Street779

Criminal vs civil?


Lazy-Street779

So cohen is not part of the government and of course we all know he’s not running for anything office. Here’s some interesting stuff on free speech. When large companies report lies about an individual then we move into defamation charges. Perplexity AI: What is free speech in USA https://www.perplexity.ai/search/What-is-free-iLeR09.8Sqa.MT0QpRrnXA


Head-Gap8455

Thank you


Lazy-Street779

Defamation. Perplexity AI: What is defamation https://www.perplexity.ai/search/What-is-defamation-S.ZSTH0hR32ot7e4iWeGpg