>> WELL, FREEDOM OF THE PRESS HAS BEEN A HOT NEWS TOPIC.

THE BIG SETTLEMENT WITH FOX NEWS AND DOMINION, THE FIGHT OVER LABELS ON TWITTER AND CONCERNS ABOUT THE TREATMENT OF A STATE CAPITOL REPORTER HERE IN ST. PAUL.

JANE CURTLY IS THE DIRECTOR OF THE FOR THE STUDY OF MEDIAETHICS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MNNESOTA.

HEY, IT'S BEEN A WHILE.

>> THANK YOU.

NICE TO BE HERE.

>> NICE TO SEE YU.

THAT FOX ELEMENT IS INTERESTING.

DO YOU FEEL IT'S TOO BAD THAT THEY SETTLED?

BECAUSE IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO HAVE SOME PRECEDENT ON DEFAMATION CASE LAW.

>> YOU KNOW, I DID NOT WANT THIS CASE TO GO TO TRIAL AND I CERTAINLY DIDN'T WANT IT TO GO ON APPEAL, BECAUSE THERE WAS A REAL RISK THAT THE U.S. SUPREME COURT COULD USE THIS CASE AS A MEANS TO DO AWAY ITH THE NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE, WHICH WAS AT THE HEART OF THIS CASE.

SO I AM VERY HAPPY THEY SETTLED.

I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE WANTED TO SEE FOX HUMILIATED IN PUBLIC.

IT WASN'T WORTH THE GAMBLE TO ME.

>> LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT WERE THE PITFALLS, IF IT HAD GONE TO COURT, AND GOTTEN ELEVATED TO AN APPEAL LEVEL?

>> WELL, WE HAVE TWO JUSTICES CURRENTLY ON THE SUPREME COURT, WHO SAID THEY ARE ITCHING TO REEXAMINE THE NEW YORK TIMES VERSUS SULLIVAN VAN STANDARD.

>> WHAT IS THAT.

>> IT'S THE SO-CALLED ACTUAL MALICE STANDARD.

IF YOU'RE A PUBLIC FIGURE LIKE DOMINION, YOU HAVE TO PROVE THAT THE PUBLISHER KNEW OR HAD REASON TO KNOW THAT WHAT IT PUBLISHED WAS NOT TRUE.

AND, OF COURSE, WE KNOW FROM THE PRETRIAL DISCOVERY THAT CAME OUT FROM HIS CASE THAT FOX HAD SERIOUS DOUBTS ABOUT A LOT OF THE THINGS THEY AIRED ABOUT THE ELECTION TAMPERING.

SO IN THAT SENSE, ALMOST A CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF ACTUAL MALICE.

HOW A JURY WOULD HAVE DEALT WITH IT, OF COURSE, WE WILL NEVER NOW KNOW.

BUT THE POINT IS, I THINK THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A CENTRAL ISSUE, HAD THE CASE BEEN APPEALED.

AND NO MATTER WHO WON OR LOST, I PROMISE YOU, THEY WOULD HAVE APPEALED IT.

>> LET'S TALK ABOUT THE TWITTER BROUHAHA.

TWITTER WAS BRANDING PUBLIC MEDIA AS GOVERNMENT-FUNDED MEDIA.

THEY HAVE DROPPED THAT.

THERE WAS -- THERE WAS A LOT OF TALKING ABOUT MISLEADING THE AUDIENCE ABOUT -- ABOUT THEIR EDITORIAL INDEPENDENCE, IF YOU'RE LABELED GOVERNMENT-FUNDED MEDIA.

WAS THAT KIND OF A TEMPEST IN THE TEA POT?

OR HOW DID YOU LOOK THAT?

>> I THOUGHT IT WAS A REAL SERIOUS ISSUE.

OBVIOUSLY, THERE ARE A LOT OF MEDIA COMPANIES AROUND THE WORLD THAT ARE STATE-FUNDED THAT ARE STILL INDEPENDENT.

YOU THINK ABOUT, FOR EXAMPLE, FOR THE BBC AND BRITAIN, WITH I IS FUNDED THROUGH LICENSING FEES.

BUT THEY ALSO GET SOME MONEY FROM PARLIAMENT.

GOVERNMENT DOESN'T CONTROL THE BBC.

WITH YOU BUT THERE ARE OTHER COUNTRIES WHERE GOVERNMENT MEANS GOVERNMENT CONTROL.

AND I THINK FRANKLY THIS LABELING WAS CONFLATING THIS.

THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES AND I THINK IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT PUBLIC MEDIA IN THE UNITED STATES SAYS, WE'RE NOT PLAYING THIS GAME ANY MORE.

WE'RE GOING TO GET OFF TWITTER IF YOU'RE GOING TO CALL US BASICALLY AN ARM OF THE GOVERNMENT.

>> THERE'S BEEN NICHE MEDIA IN THE DIGITAL AREA SINCE I SUPPOSE THE LATE '90s.

WE'RE IN A SECOND GENERATION NOW WHERE IT'S MORE EVIDENT AND OVERWHELMING.

I WONDER HOW THAT WILL SHAKE OUT FOR THE NEWS BUSINESS.

>> WE JUST LEARNED IN THE LAST COUPLE DAYS THAT BUZZFEED HAS DROPPED ITS NEWS DIVISION.

BUZZFEED WON A PULITZER PRIZE.

THEY WERE DOING EXCELLENT JOURNALISM.

AND YET ULTIMATELY, THE MEDIA CONGLOMERATE SAID THIS IS JUST NOT WORTH IT TO US ANY MORE TO CONTINUE TO UNDERWRITE THIS.

AND I THINK THAT'S GOING TO BE THE KEY QUESTION.

DO ALL OF THESE NEWCOMERS HAVE A COMMITMENT TO WHAT I WOULD CALL THE ALL TRUISM OF JOURNALISM?

THE IDEA THAT YOU HAVE TO SERVE A PUBLIC TRUST.

ALTHOUGH IT'S FINE TO MAKE MONEY TOO.

AND THE ABILITY TO FIGURE OUT, TO SUSS OUT, WHO IS RELIABLE, CREDIBLE AND JUST IN FOR THE MONEY I THINK IS GETTING MORE AND MORE COMPLICATED.

>> SO FORMER GOOGLE EXECUTIVE TAKES OVER THE "STAR TRIBUNE."

>> YES.

>> YOU HEARD THE INTERVIEW WITH STREEF GROVE EARLIER TONIGHT.

ANYTHING STRIKE YOU IN THAT CONVERSATION?

>> I THINK HE'S BEING VERY REALISTIC WHEN HE SAYS HE'S GOT TO IMMEDIATE THE AUDIO JENS WHERE THEY ARE.

WHEN I HEARD HIM MENTION TICK TOCK, MY FLESH CRAWLS.

I DON'T TRUST TICK TOCK.

MY STUDENTS LOVE IT, BUT TO ME IT'S NOT A PLACE MAINSTREAM MEDIA IN THE UNITED STATES OUGHT TO BE PLAYING UNLESS THEY HAVE TO.

>> SO POST FOX DEFAMATION CASE.

DO NEWS ROOMS AROUND THE WORLD GLEAN ANYTHING FROM THIS, DO THEY CHANGE THEIR WAIVER, OR STATUS QUO?

ZING THE HUGE QUESTION IS WHETHER FOX IS GOING TO CHANGE BEHAVIOR.

ALL DURING THIS CASE, MANY ORGANIZATIONS WERE SORT OF COLLECTIVELY PULLING THEIR DIGITAL SKIRTS AWAY FROM FOX AND SAYING WE WOULD NEVER DO THAT.

I THINK THE PROBLEM IS, THAT HAVING NOW HAD THIS DEEP PROBE INTO HOW FOX MAKES ITS DECISIONS, OTHER NEWS ORGANIZATIONS NEED TO PREPARE THEMSELVES THAT THE SAME THING IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO THEM.

THEY MAY BE CONFIDENT THEY HAVE GREAT STANDARDS.

BUT I'LL JUST WARN THAT URIES ARE NOT NECESSARILY REQUESTING TO REGARD THAT THEIR CAVALIER COMMENTS IN THE WAY THEY MIGHT IN THE NEWSROOM THEMSELVES.

THEY MIGHT THINK THAT'S EVIDENCE OF BIAS AT THE VERY EAST AND VOTE AGAINST THEM AT TRIAL.

>> INTERESTING TIME TO BE A LAW AND MEDIA PROFESSOR, ISN'T