The Dominion saga exposed Fox for the propaganda outlet it's always been, but accountability cannot end with the settlement

Fox News today opted to settle with Dominion Voting Systems in order to avoid a drawn-out, embarrassing trial over the network’s lies about the 2020 election. But no amount of money can erase the ruinous reputational damage to Fox from months of pretrial filings.

Just as the long-awaited trial over Dominion Voting Systems’ $1.6 billion lawsuit was set to move to opening statements, the proceedings unexpectedly paused for several hours. Upon returning to the courtroom, the judge announced a settlement.

“The parties have resolved the case,” Judge Eric M. Davis told the jury, thanking them for their service that day. “Without you, the parties would not have been able to resolve their situation.”

The trial presented a rare moment of accountability for Fox -- and perhaps the greatest threat to the network since its founding. Fox has steadily amassed power and profit over the last several decades, using virulent rhetoric, unhinged commentary, and baldfaced fabrications to create a media juggernaut with expansive influence over the conservative movement, the Republican Party, and the United States at large.