> One novelty revealed by the Dominion lawsuit has thus far been little appreciated: namely, that the overlap between public and private power has made criticis

> One novelty revealed by the Dominion lawsuit has thus far been little appreciated: namely, that the overlap between public and private power has made criticism of the government vulnerable to counterattack. In the old days, a theory about polling stations might have been accurate or crazy—but polling was a government function and, thus, fair game. Now, an increasing number of government duties are contracted out to private companies that can demand compensation for any reputational damage that might affect their private interests (even if, as is the case with Dominion, their contracts are largely with the government). Presumably, the same vulnerability to litigation can be turned against newspapers that criticize the military strategy of Constellis (formerly Blackwater) or conditions in prisons run by CoreCivic (formerly the Corrections Corporation of America). We often think we use the word “plutocracy” as a metaphor, but in fact, certain prerogatives for public-private entities are being formalized through cases like Dominion v Fox News. If you criticize a government activity run by a private company, the company can retaliate.