Is libel law saving Brian Ross’ job?

Note to those who want ABC’s Brian Ross fired (as I do): As long as there is the threat of a libel suit, ABC executives will want to keep Ross close. If they fire him, he might turn around and testify for a plaintiff about ABC’s journalistic practices, which could be embarrassing. … A good reason for settling the defamation issue quickly is that, once it’s settled, ABC is freer to show Ross the door. Canning Ross would probably have a stronger deterrent effect than a multi-million dollar libel verdict, but the possibility of a big verdict has the perverse effect of preventing it. …