[vc_row][vc_column][nd_options_spacer nd_options_height="30"][vc_column_text]April 18, 2023[/vc_column_text][nd_options_spacer nd_options_height="30"][vc_single_image image="26215" img_size="large" alignment="center"][vc_column_text]
PHOTO: ERIK MCGREGOR/GETTY
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NHMC Releases Statement regarding the Dominion Voting Systems and Fox News Settlement
A Statement from Brenda Victoria Castillo, President & CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC)
[/vc_column_text][nd_options_spacer nd_options_height="15"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Journalism is supposed to be about seeking the truth and reporting the facts. Instead, Fox News seeks ratings and reports disinformation. And then when caught is given a free pass.
Today, Fox News set the price for spreading disinformation, deliberately misleading the public, and discrediting the democratic process at $787.5 million.
An unprecedented defamation suit by Dominion Voting Systems against Fox News was expected to begin today in Delaware, where Fox News would have had to publicly answer for the role it played to discredit our country’s fair and free elections in recent years. Rupert Murdoch and Fox News have gone to extreme lengths to hide their activities and mislead their viewer base, including directives from the Trump campaign to promote the January 6th insurrection.
The outcome of this case could have had reverberations across the country, particularly in Latino communities, where studies have shown that disinformation has been targeted at and particularly prevalent among our communities. It would have sent a strong message to both media and tech companies across the country that there would be consequences if you continue to hold disinformation as fact.
Instead, by settling out of court, what message does this send? Is $787.5 million now the going price of spreading disinformation in this country, and what stops media conglomerates around the world from continuing to promote falsehoods when they know they can pay their way out of accountability?
The National Hispanic Media Coalition has been actively speaking out against disinformation for years, working with the Spanish Language Disinformation Coalition and elected officials to highlight the impacts of disinformation and hold media companies accountable.
No more free passes – any media company that knowingly spreads false information should answer to a jury. We will continue to fight to protect the most vulnerable communities, and we will use all our power to demand that the mainstream media does the same.
Yours in the Movement,[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image="17606" img_size="medium"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Brenda Victoria Castillo
President & CEO
National Hispanic Media Coalition[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
