At the last gasp, Rupert Murdoch blinked. Settlements are made not just to minimise damage payouts but to protect reputations from being exposed on the witness stand – and it was Murdoch’s reputation that was most at risk if Dominion Voting Services’ $US1.6 billion ($2.4 billion) lawsuit against Fox News went to trial.

Dominion’s case exposed serious management failure at Fox News – and as executive chairman (at least in corporate filings) Murdoch had ultimate responsibility for the disaster zone that played out after the 2020 US presidential election.