The Mess at Fox News

Don’t let anyone tell you that Fox News is not scared to death right now when it comes to the lawsuit against the network filed by Dominion Voting Systems.

They are.

While it will not come as a surprise to many, stuff that is coming out in discovery and depositions are showing just how biased Fox News is.

The right-wing network in a spotlight for promoting false claims about the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

Even Drudge is teeing off on Fox.

In a recent defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems Inc., Fox Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch testified that the network's commentators "endorsed" Donald Trump's unfounded allegations of election rigging, even though he personally doubted the conspiracy theory from the start.

Dominion Voting Systems alleges that Fox News helped to propagate false claims that the voting-machine maker had rigged the election against Trump. The company claims that Murdoch's testimony, as well as that of other Fox News employees, supports its case that the network broadcast defamatory claims while "knowing or recklessly disregarding the truth."

Despite Murdoch's doubts about the claims, Fox News continued to report on the conspiracy theory for weeks after the election. The network repeatedly hosted Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani, two of the theory's most prominent proponents.

Fox News has criticized Dominion's lawsuit, calling it an attempt to "generate headlines" rather than a valid legal argument. The network argues that the text messages and emails cited in Dominion's earlier filing fail to support the case because the comments weren't made by anyone whose statements were allegedly defamatory.

Dominion, however, says the case should proceed, arguing that Fox News has a legal responsibility not to broadcast false and defamatory claims, even if they are "newsworthy."

Murdoch's testimony also sheds light on the relationship between Fox News and the Trump campaign. According to Dominion's filing, Murdoch gave Trump's son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner access to "Fox confidential information about Biden's ads, along with debate strategy." Murdoch, however, declined to help Trump after Fox News declared Biden the winner in Arizona.

This latest controversy is just one in a series of scandals surrounding Fox News in recent years. The network has been criticized for promoting false information and conspiracy theories, including those related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 election.

While the network has defended its reporting as legitimate journalism protected by the First Amendment, its detractors argue that the network's coverage has had a damaging impact on public discourse and democracy in the United States.

As this case unfolds, it remains to be seen what impact it will have on Fox News and its reputation. However, it is clear that the network's coverage of the 2020 election continues to be a contentious issue, and one that is unlikely to go away anytime soon.