In a recent deposition, Fox Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch admitted that some Fox News commentators endorsed false allegations by former President Donald Trump and his allies that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, and he did not step in to stop them from promoting the claims.
These claims and the company’s handling of them are at the centre of a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News by Dominion Voting Systems.
The deposition is the latest filing in the defamation case to reveal concerns at the top-rated network over how it was handling Trump’s claims. Murdoch urged in September 2020 that Lou Dobbs be fired because he was “an extremist,” according to Dominion’s court filing.
Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems, which sells electronic voting hardware and software, is suing both Fox News Network and parent company Fox Corp. for defamation. Dominion contends that some Fox News employees deliberately amplified false claims by supporters of Trump that Dominion machines had changed votes in the 2020 election.
Attorneys for Fox Corp. note in their filing that Murdoch also testified that he never discussed Dominion or voter fraud with any of the accused Fox News hosts.
Dominion attorneys contend that executives in the “chain of command” at both Fox News and Fox Corp. knew the network was broadcasting “known lies, had the power to stop it, but chose to let it continue. That was wrong; for that, FC and FNN are both liable.”
Meanwhile, Fox News attorneys note that when voting-technology companies denied the allegations being made by Trump and his surrogates, Fox News aired those denials, while some Fox News hosts offered protected opinion commentary about Trump’s allegations.
»Murdoch confirms Fox News’ stancs in 2020 presidential election«
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