Fox News is currently being sued by Dominion for spreading false information about the 2020 presidential election.
Next month, FoxNews will be go to court in a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems over the cable news channel’s 2020 election coverage. But according to Lachlan Murdochco-chairman of NewsCorp, the parent company of Fox News, the coverage of the case is political.
Murdoch briefly addressed the lawsuit during Fox’s presentation at Morgan Stanley’s Technology Media and Telecom 2023 conference on Thursday. Asked about updates on the case or what the public should know about the situation, Murdoch avoided sharing details but defended the right-wing cable giant by hinting that interest in the case has more to do with politics than concerns about law or good. journalism.
“A news organization has an obligation, and it has an obligation to report the news in a way that is full, healthy, and without fear or favor, and that’s what Fox News has always done,” he said during of his presentation. “And that’s what Fox News will always do. And I think a lot of the noise you’re hearing about this case isn’t actually about the law. And it’s not about journalism, but more about politics, isn’t it. And that sadly reflects more of the kind of polarized society we live in today.
Murdoch’s comments arrive the next day SMS and emails talent and Fox executives have been released in preparation for the case, revealing negative views of former President Donald Trump from network figures that stand in stark contrast to the positive coverage the programming has provided him. One of the people included in the published messages was Tucker-Carlsonone of the network’s most prominent hosts, who sent several texts expressing his skepticism about Trump’s theories that the election was stolen, despite seriously covering them on his show.
A person familiar with the matter told IndieWire that Murdoch considers Tucker a close friend and the most important person on the network. However, the source also said that Murdoch and his family – led by patriarch Rupert Murdoch – might not be afraid to fire anyone who harms the business.
The Dominion lawsuit was filed in March 2021, shortly after the January 6 uprising. Dominion alleges defamation after Fox’s post-election coverage devoted airtime to conspiracy theories that the company is manipulating vote counting through machines it provided for the election. The case will go to trial before a jury in April.
Additional reporting by Tony Maglio.
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