It is no surprise that Fox News has chosen to prioritize their bottom line over freedom of speech, as the network is attempting to take legal action against former host Tucker Carlson for his new show, Tucker on Twitter.
According to an Axios report, a Fox executive claimed Carlson is “prohibited from rendering services of any type whatsoever,” and they are suing him for what they claim is a breach of his contract.
Tucker Carlson signed a non-compete clause with Fox News when he joined the network in 2011 that stipulated he could not work for any other media outlet until after 2025.
However, although Tucker did not sign any formal agreement with Twitter or Elon Musk’s startup company The Boring Company, he was still threatened with legal action by Fox News if he continued to produce content through this platform.
The network also offered him millions of dollars to stay quiet until the end of his contract – signaling that their primary concern isn’t upholding ethical standards but rather keeping Carlson from exercising his right to speak freely.
Not only does this set a dangerous precedent for all those employed at Fox News going forward; it also further perpetuates the idea that corporate interests outweigh personal liberty.
If Fox succeeds in silencing Tucker without consequence then it sends the message that individuals can be silenced simply by threatening them with lawsuits and large payouts – something conservatives should never accept nor condone as being acceptable behavior.
It also means that until after the next presidential election in 2024 we will have lost out on one of our nation’s most outspoken voices on social media who often offered unique insights into current events and politics from an independent perspective.
We live in an era where corporations have more power than individuals do, and where people are discouraged from speaking freely if it hurts someone else’s bottom line or profits – regardless if their words are true or justifiable under U.S law.
This shouldn’t even be close to acceptable in America yet here we are watching as similar situations play out across different industries every day while corporate censorship continues unchecked due to lack of regulation or oversight from any governing body or entity outside those involved directly within such conflicts (namely FOX).
It becomes increasingly important now more than ever before that conservative Republicans stand up against these kinds of attacks against individual liberty no matter who may benefit financially by silencing voices like Tuckers’.
According to The American Spectator:
According to an Axios report, a Fox executive claimed Carlson is “prohibited from rendering services of any type whatsoever, whether ‘over the internet via streaming or similar distribution, or other digital distribution whether now known or hereafter devised.”
Fox may not have much of a case against Carlson, however, as Carlson did not sign a new contract with Musk or Twitter.
Referencing the issue in early May, Musk clarified: “I … want to be clear that we have not signed a deal of any kind whatsoever. Tucker is subject to the same rules & rewards of all content creators.”
On this platform, unlike the one-way street of broadcast, people are able to interact, critique and refute whatever is said.
And, of course, anything misleading will get @CommunityNotes.
I also want to be clear that we have not signed a deal of any kind whatsoever. Tucker is… https://t.co/0TMjuYnKUp
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 9, 2023
Further, Carlson’s legal team claimed that he did not violate the contract because Twitter does not constitute a platform in direct competition with Fox News.
Carlson also accused Fox of a breach of contract prior to the outlet’s threats to sue.
The aforementioned Axios report states that Carlson’s lawyer claimed Fox committed fraud by violating an agreement not to leak Carlson’s private communications.
Erica Carlin is an independent journalist, opinion writer and contributor to several news and opinion sources. She is based in Georgia.
