Newsmax's new statement about its $67M settlement with Dominion: Delaware judge "ruled in ways that strongly favored the plaintiffs and limited Newsmax's ability to defend itself." It "encourages every business incorporated in Delaware to reconsider and exit the state, as it did so to Florida."

Surprised there's little attention this AM to Newsmax's agreement to pay Dominion Voting Systems $67M to settle its defamation case. Dominion said Newsmax falsely suggested its machines rigged 2020 election. $NMAX shares are up 3%. In a similar case last year Newsmax agreed to pay Smartmatic $40M.

Big news in Murdochland. Is it crazy to wonder whether Elon Musk will approach with an offer for Fox News -- and that Rupert might accept it?

📣 New article from me, Thomas Struett, @paufder.bsky.social & @rwg.aoir.social.ap.brid.gy, available free & #openaccess in the International Journal of Communication:

Can This Platform Survive? Governance Challenges for the Fediverse

ijoc.org/index.php/ij... #academia

The way the world - hell, more than half of academia - has NO fucking clue there’s a whole field of scholars who study communication & media🙃

5 Burning Qs about the Comcast cable spin off:
*M&A?
*What about MSNBC, CNBC?
*Will Madison Ave. spend less $$ on smaller orgs?
*Why does Bravo stay?
*Will we still hear the NBCU 'Symphony'?

variety.com/2024/tv/news...

For people unfamiliar with deal mumbo jumbo: Comcast's existing shareholders will own this cable firm that gets spun off. It isn't being sold to someone else -- yet -- but over time, investors or potential buyers could approach the new company.

Publicly traded rightwing media companies say that Trump's victory shows there's a market for a MAGA-friendly "parallel economy." Wall Street remains unpersuaded. Here's my take today in TheRighting.

Who'll be 1st with the valuation for LeBron James’ SpringHill in its merger with Fulwell 73? It's certainly much less than its $725 million valuation from 2021, offering insight into the decline of sports programming celebrated in a 2017 Harvard B School case study abt James' "Hollywood empire."

The monoculture fights back, again.

The final takeaway is that a hyper-capitalistic media system such as ours in the U.S. is ill-equipped to serve the information/communication needs of a democratic society. The question is: How do we instill different logics and create a different kind of media system?

That RFK has views merely "controversial" is a good example of refuge-seeking behavior in journalism, as against truth-seeking. In refuge seeking, first priority is to protect against criticism.

To me this is stonger than "enough with the euphemisms!" because truth-telling is supposed to be first.

The monoculture fights back.

Never forget this: The GOP’s nonsensical culture war is meant to distract you from corporate corruption, worker oppression, and staggering wealth inequality.

Takeaways from John Malone's latest interview: Net Neutrality is vulnerable again. (He says it unfairly gives media entrants "access to distribution at zero cost.") And big cable operators will try to consolidate. (“With discount airlines, they don’t make each airline build its own airport...")

Wall Street apparently doesn't buy Rumble CEO's claim last night that major brand advertisers will flock to the controversial rightwing video platform following Trump's victory last week. Rumble shares are down 10+% this AM after the company reported a larger than expected Q3 loss.

Donald Trump Jr.'s surprising decision to eschew a role in the new administration and become a partner at 1789 Capital suggests MAGA world has big plans for the investment firm's founder: Omeed Malik -- a close ally of Tucker Carlson and RFK Jr. Here's my take on him a year ago in The Righting.