FOX NEWS VS DOMINION

How do media companies get regulated?

One way that media company get regulated is by legal lawsuits. On 2021, Fox News, a right wing American news company owned by Rupert Murdoch was sued for $1.6 billion by Dominion, a voting machine company for defamation. This has become the biggest lawsuits in the media history. Dominion claimed that Fox has been spreading lies against them. This case started when Trump's legal team made a false claim that the vote had been rigged in the 2020 US Presidential election against Donald Trump. Dominion was trying to prove that figures inside Fox may not have intentionally promoted lies by conducting 'discovery' in which they went through Fox's datas and interviewed their news anchor. Through this they have found prove that Fox has been spreading misinformation despite knowing the truth. However a day before going to court, Fox News settles defamation lawsuit for $787.5 million. CNN and MSNBC has been actively reporting this news while Fox News has been silent about the whole case. They did this to satisfy their right wing audience and only show what they want to see. According to Cultivation Theory by George Gerbner, audience will choose to consume media that already agrees with their opinions. After the settlement, Tucker Carlson, a Fox news anchor was fired due to an unclear reason, this is one way for Fox News to self regulate.

Analyse the challenges of regulating the media in the digital age.

One of the challenges in regulating the media in this digital age is although companies are able to sue individuals/organizations for defamation, it hard for them to be able to stop the spread of misinformation online. An example for this is, Dominion's lawsuit against Fox News. Dominion claimed that Fox has been spreading lies against them about rigging the 2020 US Presidential election. Dominion was able to stop the spread of the Big Lie through television news channels when they sued them in court, however, it's difficult for them to completely block the false accusation on social media platforms such as Twitter or Youtube.

Analyse the ways in which contemporary media regulation reflects its period.

One of the ways in which contemporary media regulation reflect its period is, as more people have access to the internet, they have gained access to more news sources which have led each audience to have different opinions and views on an issue. Audiences have consumed media in a more active way in this digital age, different from the past. According to the hypodermic needle theory, passive audiences accepts any message from the media without any question. An example is, in the Dominion vs Fox News legal case, audiences are able to decode news in their own way. Fox news which is on the conservative side intentionally lied to their audience and promote the claim that Dominion has rigged the 2020 US Presidential election. According to Stuart Hall's reception theory, some audience decodes the news as Fox news intended (preferred reading), some understood the meaning however they chose to reject some parts of it (negotiated reading), while some completely rejects Fox's intended meaning (oppositional reading).

‘Media regulation is failing everyone.’ How far do you agree with this statement? 

Evaluate the reasons for and against stricter media regulation.

Regulating media has been more challenging along the rise of social media. Although strict regulations can limit freedom and creativity, they're needed in order to provide audiences with a safer digital environment. An example is, the spread of misinformation regarding Dominion rigging the 2020 US Presidential election by Fox News. Fox News, a conservative American news company owned by Rupert Murdoch has broadcasted lies against Dominion which has led to a legal lawsuit.