A new 200-page court filing that has been brought as part of Dominion’s $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News was just released Thursday. The filing shows text messages between many TV hosts and producers on the network. The texts reveal the degree to which the network has been held hostage by Donald Trump and his supporters over the years.

One text message from prime time host Tucker Carlson to his producer Alex Pfeiffer acknowledged that some hosts on the network are afraid of Trump because of his ability to destroy anyone who crosses him. He knows that loyal Trump supporters turn the TV off if they hear one criticism of the former president: “We worked really hard to build what we have… Those f****ers are destroying our credibility. It enrages me.”

Carlson is referring to Trump’s demands that the network give him positive coverage and not fact-check his 2020 election claims, which simply were not true. “What Trump’s good at is destroying things. He’s the undisputed world champion of that. He could easily destroy us if we play it wrong.”

Another text from January 6th between Carlson and Pfieffer: “Many on ‘our side’ are being reckless demagogues right now. Trump is a demonic force, a destroyer. But he’s not going to destroy us.”

Since early 2021, Rupert Murdoch has shifted the network’s prime time focus away from Trump cheerleading and towards exposing the current Biden administration. Murdoch also owns the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post, and his coverage has turned sharply against Trump and is more willing to talk about his legal troubles and liabilities as both a person and a presidential candidate. Coverage toward Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been especially positive as he is now rightly seen as the leader of the conservative movement. Trump’s influence in conservative media is waning rapidly. There are very few people who are still openly supporting his candidacy.

The fear of losing viewers should never be a driving force to avoid telling the truth to the audience. Many supporters of Donald Trump are not interested in hearing the truth about him. They only want to hear their own preconceived biases be confirmed. Many of them now only tune in to Newsmax TV because it has become the new de facto Donald Trump network.

Conservative commentator Ann Coulter was banned from Fox News after she began criticizing Trump for his ineffectiveness as president due to his narcissism and childlike behavior. Maybe now she will be allowed back on the network to speak the truth about Trump more freely. Murdoch and the network executives no longer feel the need to pander to the Trump audience. They should never have pandered in the first place. Leave the pandering for networks like MSNBC.