Dominion Voting Systems, a company that provides Voting machines and systems, has revealed in its $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News that Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott warned her colleagues not to “give the crazies an inch” after the 2020 presidential election. Dominion Voting Systems has alleged that Fox News hosts and guests spread false claims about the company and its machines being responsible for rigging the election in Joe Biden’s favour.
A new report by CNN cites newly-unsealed court documents in which Dominion alleges that Fox News “sold its soul” to aid President Trump’s baseless claims of widespread voting fraud, and knowingly aired tidbits that Dominion alleges would incite violence from its viewers. Dominion has also accused Fox News of defaming the company in more than 1,000 broadcasts. In a statement to CNN, Fox News called the allegations “baseless” and an attempt to distract from Dominion’s “own attempts to rig the 2020 election.”
The lawsuit, filed in March 2021, seeks to hold Fox News and several of its high-profile hosts and guests accountable for spreading Conspiracy theories about Dominion after the 2020 election. Dominion has also sued key figures in the Trump campaign and other right-wing media outlets for defamation.
According to the documents, Scott cautioned her colleagues that “it’s not a question of being behind the president, it’s a question of being behind the process and resolving the disputes in a lawful way.” Scott claims to have been unaware that Fox News was going to air a program featuring a guest who had made false claims about Dominion Voting Systems. The documents also show that Scott sent an email to colleagues in November 2020, saying that no Fox News host or guest should be allowed to say the election was stolen or rigged.
Following Dominion’s allegations, Fox News has been the subject of criticism from all sides, including former Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan, who sits on the Fox News board. Ryan has said that Fox needs to provide an “accurate, responsible, and fair presentation of the news.”
The defamation lawsuit against Fox News is one of a number of legal actions filed against the network by various groups and individuals seeking to hold the network accountable for its part in spreading lies and Conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. Dominion’s lawsuit is set to move forward as several other similar suits await decisions.
Original Story at www.gpb.org – 2022-10-07 07:00:00