Fox News Defamation Lawsuit: Owner Rupert Murdoch Admits Under Oath That Hosts Spread False Information About Election

By Rick Martin Feb 27 2023, 21:14 PM EST

Fox News is reeling from the private messages sent between Fox News hosts like Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, and Laura Ingram that showed they knew the elections were not stolen. As Fox Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch testified during the Dominion lawsuit hearing, he acknowledges that his hosts spread false information.

Dominion, which sued Fox News for around $1.6 billion for defamation, included a deposition involving Murdoch in their filing.

That deposition has now been unsealed on Monday, and it did not just show the Fox chairman acknowledging that his network's hosts spread false information but also provided more evidence that he and other Fox executives believed Joe Biden fairly beat Donald Trump during the 2020 presidential elections, according to Reuters.

During that deposition, a Dominion lawyer asked Murdoch whether some Fox News commentators endorsed the idea that the 2020 election was stolen, to which the Fox chairman acknowledged, "Yes. They endorsed."

Rupert Murdoch Name-Dropped Lou Dobbs and Maria Bartiromo During Deposition

Murdoch may have thrown his hosts at Fox News under the bus during that deposition when he was asked by the Dominion lawyer, "In fact, you are now aware that Fox endorsed at times this false notion of a stolen election?"

To this, Murdoch replied by name-dropping two of his network's hosts whom he believes spread false information. "Not Fox, No. Not Fox. But maybe Lou Dobbs, maybe Maria, as commentators," Murdoch replied before adding, "Some of our commentators were endorsing it."

According to The Hill, Fox News has been trying to have the case dismissed on the grounds of the First Amendment, stating that Dominion had been trying to "publicly smear Fox for covering and commenting on allegations by a sitting President of the United States should be recognized for what it is: a blatant violation of the First Amendment." However, they have been unsuccessful as the case is heading to court.

Former House Speaker Paul Ryan, who is part of the Fox Corp. Board, also sat with Dominion lawyers for a deposition. The tech firm's filings against Fox News showed Ryan admitting that he knew "these conspiracy theories were baseless." He added that the outlet "should labor to dispel conspiracy theories if and when they pop up."

Rupert Murdoch Questioned About Allowing MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell To Continue Spreading Misinformation

One of the biggest spreaders of misinformation about the 2020 elections has been Mike Lindell, who, to this day, continues to spread false information despite his lack of solid evidence to back his claims.

During the Rupert Murdoch deposition presented by Dominion, the Fox Corp. chairman was asked why the network continued to show Lindell despite knowing he was spreading false information about the elections.

According to NBC News, Murdoch answered that this was a business decision. "It is not red or blue, it is green," Murdoch told the Dominion lawyer.

Lindell's MyPillow continues to advertise in various Fox News shows and has been one of the top advertisers in the network.

As for the case, it is headed to court, with Fox News possibly paying $1.6 billion in damages. Its five-week trial is scheduled to begin on April 17, 2023.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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