- Inner messages present how Fox Information anchors privately mocked 2020 election conspiracy theories.
- Fox Information’ Howard Kurtz mentioned on Sunday that the corporate has barred protection of the messages.
- As of Sunday, there have been zero tales on Fox Information’ web site masking the messages.
A prime Fox Information anchor mentioned his firm has barred protection of the Dominion lawsuit, which not too long ago obtained renewed consideration after a 200-page movement confirmed personal texts between Fox stars and executives dismissing the 2020 election conspiracy theories peddled by Donald Trump and his supporters.
Throughout his Sunday section on MediaBuzz, host Howard Kurtz acknowledged viewers who had been questioning why Fox had not lined the continuing lawsuit.
“A few of you’ve got been asking why I am not masking the Dominion Voting Machines lawsuit towards Fox involving the unproven claims of election fraud in 2020, and it is completely a good query,” he mentioned. “I imagine I ought to be masking it. It is a main media story, given my position right here at Fox. However the firm has determined that, as a part of the group being sued, I can not discuss it or write about it — no less than for now. I strongly disagree with that call, however as an worker, I’ve to abide by it. And if that modifications, I will let you recognize.”
—PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) February 26, 2023
Dominion, an elections expertise firm, filed a defamation lawsuit towards Fox Information in March 2021, accusing the media firm of spreading conspiracy theories that claimed Dominion helped rig the 2020 election outcomes.
The results of these theories price the elections expertise firm $600 million in potential earnings along with $1 billion in potential worth, Dominion wrote in its submitting. The corporate additionally mentioned staff’ lives had been threatened.
“Because of the false accusations broadcast by Fox into thousands and thousands of American houses, Dominion has suffered unprecedented hurt and its staff’ lives have been put in peril,” Dominion’s attorneys wrote within the lawsuit.
The corporate is searching for $1.6 billion in damages.
Final week, a 200-page movement filed by Dominion was made public and contained a cache of inside communications between a few of Fox Information’ prime brass, together with Fox Company Chairman Rupert Murdoch, host Laura Ingraham, Tucker Carlson, and Carlson’s producer Alex Pfeiffer, amongst others.
“[T]he software program shit is absurd,” Carlson mentioned in a textual content on November 7, 2020.
“It is dangerously insane these conspiracy theories,” Fox reporter Lucas Tomlinson mentioned to Bret Baier, host of Particular Report.
The community has largely been silent in regards to the inside messages. A search by way of FoxNews.com turns up zero latest tales relating to the Dominion lawsuit. Most tales date again to 2020 and are associated to the claims towards Dominion or Dominion’s response to the allegations.
Fox beforehand mentioned in an announcement that Dominion had “cherry-pick[ed]” quotes and brought them out of context.
“There shall be loads of noise and confusion generated by Dominion and their opportunistic personal fairness homeowners, however the core of this case stays about freedom of the press and freedom of speech, that are basic rights afforded by the Structure and guarded by New York Instances v. Sullivan,” the assertion mentioned.
—Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) February 19, 2023
Although Kurtz instructed the explanation why he isn’t discussing the Dominion lawsuit is that the community is a defendant in an ongoing authorized battle, this has not stopped different Fox anchors from disparaging digital voting machines or mentioning Dominion.
On the evening of the 2022 midterm elections, greater than a yr since Dominion filed its lawsuit, Carlson talked about claims about digital voting machines not permitting folks to vote in Maricopa County of Arizona, a state that has continued to gas Trump’s false election fraud claims.
“That’s an precise menace to democracy and it factors up the core drawback which is we’re not likely very critical about democracy if we’re utilizing digital voting machines,” Carlson mentioned.
—John Whitehouse+ (@existentialfish) February 26, 2023
A Fox Information Media spokesperson didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
