The new very latest...sedition? of "Fox News actively makes you stupid"

For the most part, yes. The very short version of a long tale is that since the Eighties, Wall Street analysts/portfolio managers have for the most part urged companies to give more of their profits back to shareholders, in the form of dividends or stock buybacks, rather than invest those proceeds back into the business. The latter would mean more jobs and potentially also higher wages for workers, but Wall Street says that behaving like that is "empire building" and that CEOs should instead spend those monies on shareholders.

Businesses now mostly agree, investors agree, and the Street is happy. As you write their opinions and motivations are more than just similar.

There has been some pushback in recent years against this doctrine of "shareholder value" by people who, very broadly speaking, also tend to be sympathetic with the ESG movement (they are not the same things, but they often appeal to the same people). But it's fair to say that shareholder value still rules.

 

I'm guessing that a good chunk of the "Shareholder value" camp sees ESG initiatives as something akin to Marxist-Leninism.

 

You are good at guessing. The State of Texas has cancel-cultured investment firms that incorporate ESG evaluations.

 

That's a different issue. That is a standard investment argument -- there's no reason to consider that particular factor. Such arguments occur constantly. The factor might be ESG items, or the level corporate debt, or assessments of currency risk, or whatever. Those are part of the debate of investing. No State ever passes mandates saying that we won't invest with organizations that consider that factor. That never happens, ever.

In contrast, the State of Texas fund (and probably Florida too, I was not aware) has effectively boycotted investment organizations that consider ESG factors. It is purely a political punishment.

As a final note, while the promises of ESG investors that their approach will bring better returns is unproven, so as well is the counterargument. The State of Texas has no conclusive evidence that ESG does not produce above-average results. It just hates the idea, because it sounds and feels leftyish.

 

'Bout as righty as you can get, innit? Almost Randist? We don't need no stinkin' gummint, the free market will do all the regullatin' we need!

 

Interesting watching them try and wriggle out of outright lies by calling it ‘reporting’
They’re looking at going down to the tune of several Billion.

Court nixes Fox News' bid to end voting tech firm's suit
By Jennifer Peltz | AP
February 14, 2023 at 6:15 p.m. EST

NEW YORK — Fox News lost an attempt Tuesday to shut down a multibillion-dollar defamation lawsuit that accuses the network of spreading lies that a voting-technology company helped “steal” the 2020 election from then-U.S. President Donald Trump.

“The complaint alleges in detailed fashion that in their coverage and commentary, Fox News, Dobbs, and Bartiromo effectively endorsed and participated in the statements with reckless disregard for, or serious doubts about” whether there was any reliable evidence for them, five judges wrote in a unanimous opinion. Citing “the same reasoning,” they also reinstated Smartmatic’s claims against Pirro, which a lower court had thrown out.

 

An actor died from fentanyl. Here's how Fox writes about it.

"Former child actor Austin Majors' death earlier this week from a suspected fentanyl overdose while staying at an "interim housing program" makes him the latest victim of the drug and homelessness crises plaguing California."

Another star dead in LA: Former child actor Austin Majors latest victim of California drug, homeless crisis (msn.com)

If a reader starts with that paragraph, Fox has already lied to him. But let's be real, people who get their news from Fox's website want to be lied to.

 

Latest edition of Fox News about to become a subsidiary of Dominion:

More: After a Fox News staffer correctly fact-checked stuff that was coming out of the network's opinion side, all hell broke loose among the prime-timers. Stunning: pic.twitter.com/gHjwVJoCOJ

— ErikWemple (@ErikWemple) February 17, 2023

 

More stuff coming out. Surprise! They knrw it was BS.

"'Sidney Powell is lying by the way. I caught her. It’s insane,' Mr. Carlson wrote to Ms. Ingraham on Nov. 18, 2020.

"Ms. Ingraham responded: 'Sidney is a complete nut. No one will work with her. Ditto with Rudy.'

"Mr. Carlson continued, 'Our viewers are good people and they… https://t.co/PEv6DLiJ3h

— George Conway (@gtconway3d) February 16, 2023

 

So how do punitive damages work in a case like this? Mu understanding is compensatory damages are about making Dominion whole. So is the $1.2 billion they’re suing for just compensation for damages? Or does the plaintiff have to name a number for both?

in other words…assume fox can survive paying dominion to make them whole…but can the jury (or judge?) award $fourtyleven gazillion in punitive damages and really put fox out of business?

 

"So how many zeroes in that check?" Rupert

 

I wonder if there's a chance to go after the "talent" themselves for knowingly promoting lies on the air that led to the capitol riot? It would be awesome to hit Tucker and Hannity and the crazy judge lady and all the rest in their personal bank accounts.

 

Unless Tucker, Dobbs, etc. are personally held accountable, this is a big nothingburger. Fox can absorb this hit, but if Fishstick got hit for $250M he might think twice about lying through his teeth.

Actually, no, he wouldn't.

 

Short answer, no. The punitive damage can be quite high since it seems obvious that Fox News knew what it was doing was wrong and that they just didn't care. However, it has to be reasonable, which generally precludes punitive damages being so high to drive them out of business. Basically, there's a middle ground there somewhere and Dominion knows it. They want the award to be high enough that they are made whole (and maybe a little extra), but not so high that Fox News doesn't declare bankruptcy and try to get out from under the obligation to pay them.

I would also assume that part of any settlement Fox News has with Dominion will include a public apology for the misinformation they spread about Dominion from every one of the talking heads and maybe even a PSA style advert during a certain number of ad breaks during prime time hours.

Downside, this will only be in relation to what they said about Dominion. Fox News will be free to continue pushing that election fraud is widespread in the US, as long as they make it clear that they are not blaming Dominion for the fraud. Basically, blame the people, not the tools.

 

I’m guessing you can select any random matter and create a similar real of Fox in public vs private:

So, you'll enjoy this: we put what Fox hosts Carlson, Hannity, and Ingraham said, on air, side by side with what they were saying to each other on text, in private, when the cameras stopped rolling.

It's a must-watch and it's pretty shocking:pic.twitter.com/tkrkzpF5tY

— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) February 18, 2023

 

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Tulsi Gabbard on Fox just now: Biden efforts to hire women, minorities, LGBT+ etc for top administration roles makes him just like Hitler.

(she actually said this on live television not 10 minutes ago) pic.twitter.com/XSFGrz4GGU

— Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) February 25, 2023

 

That is, quite possibly, the stupidest thing I have ever seen a former member of Congress say. And, remember, Michelle Bachmann was in Congress.

She has gone completely off the deep end.

I know you'll say she has been off the deep off for so long, but this is a new level in insanity.

 

Funny-- Ida thought it made him more like Mitt Romney...

 

Wonder why people is willing to storm the Capitol…

Tucker Carlson is priming his viewers for right-wing radicalization.

Here are two nearly identical interviews with two different guests from tonight's show: pic.twitter.com/RT4cEGpeOY

— Kat Abu (@abughazalehkat) February 25, 2023

 

Fox news won’t cover Fox News:

Fox News won’t cover their Dominion lawsuit. pic.twitter.com/HIZw8PWH50

— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) February 26, 2023

 

Her gateway drug was becoming an independent centrist. From that point, wholesale delusion was always the likeliest outcome.

 

More broadly, FNC won't cover news.

 

Or, her gateway drug was the Russian money (allegedly).