Fact check: Fox agreeo to pay Dominion Voting Systems $787.5 millionin in 2023 to settle a similar lawsuit brought by the voting technology company.

1. Summary of the results

The original statement is factually accurate. Multiple sources confirm that Fox News agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems $787.5 million to settle a defamation lawsuit in 2023 ^{[1] [2] [3]}. The settlement was reached in April 2023, just before the case was set to go to trial ^{[1] [2]}.

The lawsuit centered on false claims made by Fox News hosts and guests about Dominion's voting machines during the 2020 presidential election, with allegations that Fox defamed the election technology company by promoting "wild and spurious conspiracies" claiming Dominion had switched votes from Donald Trump to Joe Biden ^[2]. The court had already ruled that certain claims about Dominion were false before the settlement was reached ^[1].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original statement omits several crucial pieces of context:

• Fox News did not admit wrongdoing or apologize as part of the settlement agreement, despite paying the massive sum ^[1]
• The settlement was reached specifically to avoid a trial that would have exposed how Fox promoted lies about the 2020 presidential election ^[4]
• Lachlan Murdoch, Fox's leadership, has publicly explained the rationale behind agreeing to the $787 million settlement ^[5]
• The case involved not just Fox hosts but also executives, journalists, and guests who participated in spreading the defamatory claims ^[2]

The settlement benefited Fox News by avoiding a potentially more damaging public trial that could have revealed internal communications and decision-making processes about promoting election conspiracy theories. Dominion benefited financially while also achieving vindication of their reputation without the uncertainty of a jury verdict.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original statement contains a minor typographical error ("millionin" instead of "million"), but this appears to be a simple mistake rather than intentional misinformation. The core factual claim about the $787.5 million settlement amount and the 2023 timeline is accurate based on all available sources.

The statement is notably neutral in tone and does not include inflammatory language or partisan framing that might suggest bias. However, it lacks the broader context about what the lawsuit was actually about - the promotion of false election conspiracy theories - which could be seen as presenting an incomplete picture of the significance of this settlement.