# This Just In...Fox News Channel is bunch of lying fucks **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 22, 2021, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-fox-news-channel-is-bunch-of-lying-fucks/931180 "2021-01-22T06:13:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 66
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2023, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-fox-news-channel-is-bunch-of-lying-fucks/931180/1302 "2023-02-13T16:00:35Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > What is a “fuck” in this context? shorthand for “fuckwit” ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2023, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-fox-news-channel-is-bunch-of-lying-fucks/931180/1303 "2023-02-14T16:38:58Z")
Here’s a story from Fox News: [https://news.yahoo.com/face-masks-made-little-no-001748577.html](https://news.yahoo.com/face-masks-made-little-no-001748577.html) They cite a Cochrane Library meta-study: > **[Do physical measures such as hand-washing or wearing masks stop or slow down...](https://www.cochrane.org/CD006207/ARI_do-physical-measures-such-hand-washing-or-wearing-masks-stop-or-slow-down-spread-respiratory-viruses)** Anybody else notice that Fox failed to include this bit from the Cochrane article: > What are the limitations of the evidence? > Our confidence in these results is generally low to moderate for the subjective outcomes related to respiratory illness, but moderate for the more precisely defined laboratory-confirmed respiratory virus infection, related to masks and N95/P2 respirators. The results might change when further evidence becomes available. Relatively low numbers of people followed the guidance about wearing masks or about hand hygiene, which may have affected the results of the studies. As limitations go … that seems kind of important, no? Lying fucks. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2023, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-fox-news-channel-is-bunch-of-lying-fucks/931180/1304 "2023-02-14T19:02:46Z")
> **[Fox News' Sean Hannity says he knew all along Trump lost the election](https://www.npr.org/2022/12/22/1144926308/fox-news-sean-hannity-dominion-lawsuit-trump)** > > "I did not believe it for one second," Hannity said under oath about former President Trump's false claims that Dominion Voting Systems cheated him of votes in 2020. Dominion is suing Fox News. Old news. Hannity knew ‘the steal’ was bullshit. Other FOX talking heads knew it too. Still, they were told push the bullshit. They were outright told to LIE. Anyone at any other network told to tell their audience LIES?? No? ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2023, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-fox-news-channel-is-bunch-of-lying-fucks/931180/1305 "2023-02-14T20:00:38Z")
The followup questions should have been: Given that you did not believe it for one second, why did you continue to push this lie on the air? Who told you to keep pushing this lie, that you have told us you did not believe for one second? ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2023, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-fox-news-channel-is-bunch-of-lying-fucks/931180/1306 "2023-02-14T21:50:34Z")
Hanntiy is trying to use the Nuremburg defense, to avoid having Dominion come after him. That should turn out well for him. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-fox-news-channel-is-bunch-of-lying-fucks/931180/1307 "2023-02-15T00:33:54Z")
All that it’s done for him is provide evidence that he knew that he was lying but did it anyway. Some have argued that Dominion cannot win unless they can prove actual malice, as they are a “public official” (I strongly disagree with this interpretation). However, Hannity has just proved a textbook example of actual malice because in many jurisdictions (not sure about the Dominion case), malice can be found where the published statements are false, and are **known to be false by the Defendant.** ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-fox-news-channel-is-bunch-of-lying-fucks/931180/1308 "2023-02-15T00:49:18Z")
Yes, “actual malice” usually means that you know for certain that what you are saying is false but do it anyway. Which Hannity essentially admitted to. It’s a pretty high bar but I think he just Fosbury-flopped himself right over it. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-fox-news-channel-is-bunch-of-lying-fucks/931180/1309 "2023-02-15T00:58:55Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > The followup questions should have been: > > **Given that you did not believe it for one second, why did you continue to push this lie on the air?** > > **Who told you to keep pushing this lie, that you have told us you did not believe for one second?** ^ This, a millions times over (my bolding). Hannity could not have answered either question without (at a minimum) losing his job. But the questions would have been in the record. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-fox-news-channel-is-bunch-of-lying-fucks/931180/1310 "2023-02-15T13:35:24Z")
Which you can get away with if it is parody or satire. Colbert says a number of things that are not true in his monologue, but everyone knows that they are exaggerations or fabrications in service of the joke. That was the Tucker Carlson defense, that no reasonable person would believe what he said to be true. Of course, this means that Fox sees its viewers as unreasonable people. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-fox-news-channel-is-bunch-of-lying-fucks/931180/1311 "2023-02-15T15:09:00Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > Which you can get away with if it is parody or satire. Are you sure that you can get away with parody or satire while **testifying under oath in court**?! ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-fox-news-channel-is-bunch-of-lying-fucks/931180/1312 "2023-02-15T15:14:55Z")
No, but that’s not even close to what I said. 😕 I said that you can testify that the material _in your show_ was satire. Say Colbert is sued for defamation for something that he says in his monologue. He could rightly claim that he was using parody or satire, and he could testify to that effect. That doesn’t mean he would be using parody or satire _on the stand_, I really have no idea how you came to that conclusion. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-fox-news-channel-is-bunch-of-lying-fucks/931180/1313 "2023-02-15T15:20:33Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > I said that you can testify that the material _in your show_ was satire. Gotcha, except Colbert’s show was parody. Neither Carlson nor Hannity have parody shows. That defense isn’t going to work and hasn’t so far. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-fox-news-channel-is-bunch-of-lying-fucks/931180/1314 "2023-02-15T15:34:42Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Gotcha, except Colbert’s show was parody. Neither Carlson nor Hannity have parody shows. That defense isn’t going to work and hasn’t so far. Carlson basically claimed to be one, when they said that no reasonable person would believe anything he said. And he got away with it. That defense worked just fine. > **[You Literally Can't Believe The Facts Tucker Carlson Tells You. So Say Fox's...](https://www.npr.org/2020/09/29/917747123/you-literally-cant-believe-the-facts-tucker-carlson-tells-you-so-say-fox-s-lawye)** > > Fox News viewers don't expect facts from Tucker Carlson, according to network lawyers who defended their star in a slander lawsuit filed by a woman who said she had an affair with President Trump. > [@](#): > > Just read [U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil’s opinion](https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/new-york/nysdce/1:2019cv11161/527808/39/), leaning heavily on the arguments of Fox’s lawyers: The "‘general tenor’ of the show should then inform a viewer that [Carlson] is not ‘stating actual facts’ about the topics he discusses and is instead engaging in ‘exaggeration’ and ‘non-literal commentary.’ " > > She wrote: “Fox persuasively argues, that given Mr. Carlson’s reputation, any reasonable viewer ‘arrive[s] with an appropriate amount of skepticism’ about the statement he makes.” > > Vyskocil, an appointee of President Trump’s, added, “Whether the Court frames Mr. Carlson’s statements as ‘exaggeration,’ ‘non-literal commentary,’ or simply bloviating for his audience, the conclusion remains the same — the statements are not actionable.” Hannity and Carlson are _not_ news shows, they are “political opinion” shows. That anyone believes them just goes to show that their viewers are stupid, and Fox knows this. So, now that you know that that defense _has_ worked, do you change your opinion as to whether it will work in the future? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-fox-news-channel-is-bunch-of-lying-fucks/931180/1315 "2023-02-15T15:38:06Z")
That judge’s opinion assumed a “reasonable viewer”, which doesn’t in any way describe the typical consumer of Fox News. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-fox-news-channel-is-bunch-of-lying-fucks/931180/1316 "2023-02-15T15:40:16Z")
Agreed, and as I said, Fox knows just how stupid and gullible its viewers are, and takes advantage of that. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-fox-news-channel-is-bunch-of-lying-fucks/931180/1317 "2023-02-15T15:51:34Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > not ‘stating actual facts’ about the topics he discusses and is instead engaging in ‘exaggeration’ and ‘non-literal commentary.’ " I’d be OK if a judge ordered Fox News to put a one minute public service warning out every 15 minutes of programming time that warned viewers: > “Fox News is a fictional show. It does not state actual facts about the topics discussed and instead engages in 'exaggeration’ and ‘non-literal commentary.’ Non-literal commentary means that what they say is bullshit.” ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-fox-news-channel-is-bunch-of-lying-fucks/931180/1318 "2023-02-15T16:55:57Z")
And Rachel Maddow too, she’s officially full of shit. > **[San Diego Judge Dismisses OAN's $10 Million Defamation Lawsuit Against Rachel...](https://www.kpbs.org/news/2020/may/23/san-diego-judge-dismisses-oans-10-million-defamati/)** > > The conservative network had sued for defamation over Maddow's statement that it is "paid Russian propaganda." The judge ruled the statement was an opinion protected under the First Amendment. Which tells me that all Alex Jones had to do was show up to court and he could have had his lawsuit dismissed. It just shows how stupid he is. Really, we have precedent on both sides of the political aisle that opinion show hosts can say anything they want, and can’t be held liable. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-fox-news-channel-is-bunch-of-lying-fucks/931180/1319 "2023-02-15T17:54:17Z")
That is a bit different. Her claim that OAN was “really literally is paid Russian propaganda.” Was a hyperbolic interpretation of actual facts that she presented earlier. Similarly if Hannity says “Biden is literally standing on the border and telling all the drug dealers to go ahead and come in.” Biden has no action against him despite the fact that he never actully went to the border and made such a statement. That is simply a hyperbolic claim based on what Hannity believes is lax border oversight. This is very different from what he, Jones and Carlson actually did, which was to make false factual accusations the centerpiece of their show. If Maddow had made a show centered around a false claim that she had verifiable proof that Putin had directly funneled millions of dollars into OAN, Then OAN might have had a legitimate case against her. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-fox-news-channel-is-bunch-of-lying-fucks/931180/1320 "2023-02-15T18:02:49Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > This is very different from what he Jones and Carlson actually did, which was to make false factual accusations the centerpiece of their show. If Maddow had made a show centered around a false claim that she had verifiable proof that Putin had directly funneled millions of dollars into OAN, Then OAN might have had a legitimate case against her. Legally speaking, there is no difference. Morally you can definitely say there is a difference, but if you have an opinion show your first amendment rights are protected. I don’t expect anything to happen to Hannity. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-fox-news-channel-is-bunch-of-lying-fucks/931180/1321 "2023-02-15T18:09:04Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > And Rachel Maddow too, she’s officially full of shit. > > [San Diego Judge Dismisses OAN's $10 Million Defamation Lawsuit Against Rachel Maddow | KPBS Public Media](https://www.kpbs.org/news/2020/may/23/san-diego-judge-dismisses-oans-10-million-defamati/) Just about anyone who is in the “political opinion” business is full of shit. I wouldn’t both sides it too hard, though, as one drips little rabbit turds from time to time, and the other is constantly churning it out like butter. > [@Atamasama](#): > > Which tells me that all Alex Jones had to do was show up to court and he could have had his lawsuit dismissed. It just shows how stupid he is. If he had made the Sandy Hook claim once, certainly. Or even twice, probably. Even if he made it a week long campaign, he probably would have gotten away with it. But he went on about it for _years_, calling out and doxxing parents, calling on his listeners to harass them. That’s a bit more than getting some facts wrong. > [@Atamasama](#): > > Really, we have precedent on both sides of the political aisle that opinion show hosts can say anything they want, and can’t be held liable. To a large extent, this is true. And it _should_ be, as they are expressing their _opinions_ and they shouldn’t be liable for doing so. To the extent it is not true is that they are still not allowed to have a call to action for violence or anything like that, there _are_ limits. The problem comes when people (apparently unreasonable people) take their expressed opinion as fact. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-fox-news-channel-is-bunch-of-lying-fucks/931180.md?page=65) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-fox-news-channel-is-bunch-of-lying-fucks/931180.md?page=67)