Murdoch's Son Says Fox News' $787M Settlement Preceding Tucker Carlson's Exit Was A 'Business Decision'

The CEO and executive chairman of Fox Corp. FOX, Lachlan Murdoch, explained the $787 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems in a defamation case related to the airing of election fraud claims.

What Happened: Lachlan, the eldest son of media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, said at the company's third-quarter earnings call that the judge in the case "severely limited" the company's defenses against Dominion.

"We made the business decision to resolve this dispute and avoid the acrimony of a divisive trial and multi-year appeal process, a decision clearly in the best interests of the company and its shareholders," said Murdoch.

Murdoch said that Fox was of the belief that it was exercising its First Amendment rights to report on fraud allegations made by former President Donald Trump and it intends to use that defense in another lawsuit by elections technology firm Smartmatic.

Why It Matters: The Fox CEO was asked a direct question at the conference with regards to Tucker Carlson, the host who parted ways with the network shortly after the settlement was made public.

Murdoch didn't address Carlson's exit directly but did say there was no change as far as Fox's programming strategy was concerned. He said, "It's obviously a successful strategy. As always, we are adjusting our programming and our lineup and that's what we continue to do."

On Tuesday, Carlson announced plans for a new Twitter show and voiced criticism of news journalism in a video released by him.

He said, "It’s filthy, really, and it’s utterly corrupting. You can’t have a free society if people aren’t allowed to say what they think is true."

On the same day, Elon Musk, who owns Twitter, said there was no deal with Carlson and he will have to adhere to the same rules that all creators on the platform follow.

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