In the Wake of Tucker Carlson's Fox Departure, Three Lessons on Fighting Misinformation | Opinion

When Fox News announced the departure of its star anchor Tucker Carlson, some who have long called him out for lying were quick to celebrate on social media. I don't blame them. The move—on the heels of a $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems over false claims of election rigging—is a victory. (Multiple reports said it was the network's decision, and that Carlson was not informed in advance.) But a much bigger battle lies ahead.

In 2018, a Mayo Clinic official said we are living in an "epidemic of lying." Since then, we've seen even more high-profile patterns of deception, from former President Donald Trump to Representative George Santos (R-N.Y.). Having tracked the impact of lying in government, business, and society for decades, I've never seen dishonesty as rampant and dangerous as it is now.

Counteracting the "epidemic" will take many more battles like this. There are lessons to be learned from Fox's settlement and Carlson's apparent ouster—lessons in how to fight back against liars everywhere.

Motive, Means, and Opportunity

Just as investigators look for motive, means, and opportunity when probing crimes, some researchers who look for ways to stop unethical behavior sometimes explore these same factors. To cut back on the proliferation of lies, we need to reduce all three of these driving forces.

In some ways, Fox offers a case in point. The network's motives to spout false conspiracy theories about the election were clear. The more it angered its viewers, the more they watched—and the more money rolled in. Fox News CEO even said fact checks were "bad for business." Making Fox face millions in legal fees and a large settlement reduces the profit incentive. Even though the network won't have to pay the full cost out of pocket due to tax write offs and possible insurance claims, it will at least pay a price. The profit motive isn't gone, but it is diminished.

The same goes for Carlson. There were likely multiple reasons he was let go, and he will probably go on to reach large audiences through other platforms. Still, he lost his perch as the most watched host at Fox, which put him atop the right-wing media hierarchy. And it happened amid Fox admitting it had lied. Other hosts at the network, and perhaps other right-wing networks, may find themselves less motivated to engage in such dangerous lies.

This is also why it's a good thing disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes is facing prison time. And it's why Santos should be kicked out of Congress. She wanted to be the ultimate entrepreneur success story; he wanted to be a lawmaker. They should both lose what motivated them.

The means to lie has, fortunately, also taken something of a hit. Fox's attempts to get the Dominion case thrown out on First Amendment grounds failed when a judge ruled against the company's motions. The message was clear: calling itself "news" does not allow a company to use its platforms free of legal consequences. The means that liars use to distribute their claims do not indemnify them.

Carlson, meanwhile, lost his main means to reach a huge audience. Any platform that puts him on next will have to recognize the dangers.

When it comes to the opportunities to lie, unfortunately, we're entering a dystopian era. Never have there been so many powerful ways to deceive people. Technologies like AI and the proliferation of deep fakes make disinformation campaigns easier than ever. We'll need to fight back with similar technologies that automatically flag content as false or likely false on any and all popular social platforms.

While Carlson has lost this opportunity to be on a nightly network TV show, he will likely find others. Meanwhile everyone else at Fox, including other hosts who pushed election lies, still have the opportunity to lie live on the air to millions of viewers. Time will tell whether they use that opportunity as much as they have in the past.

This is why another legal case over Fox's election lies remains so important. Smartmatic USA is suing the network for an even larger sum, so there remains an opportunity to exact a greater price from Rupert Murdoch's U.S. juggernaut. (Fox predicts that a trial in that case could be two years away.)

The more people do to strike at Fox's motivation and means, the less likely it is to use the opportunity to lie to America. And for now, those of us working to end the "lying epidemic" have new tools in our arsenal. We should do all we can to spread the message that Fox and Carlson did not get off unscathed. We should use this to teach people in all walks of life a crucial lesson: Spread lies at your own peril. There's a good chance you'll regret it.

Pamela Meyer teaches the Masterclass "Deception Detection and Getting to the Truth." She is the CEO of Calibrate, a deception detection and inside threat mitigation consulting firm. Her TED Talk "How to Spot a Liar" is one of the 20 most popular of all time.

The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.