Fox News stands in legal peril. It says defamation loss would harm all media
NPR Online NewsMar 06, 2023
The Facts
On Monday, Fox News producer Abby Grossberg filed two lawsuits against the network, claiming its lawyers pressured her into giving deceptive testimony in the $1.6B defamation suit filed by Dominion Voting Systems.
Dominion Voting Systems is suing Fox News for its highly controversial claims surrounding the 2020 presidential election. Grossberg alleges that before her September 2022 deposition, she was coached in a "coercive and intimidating manner" to protect executives and on-air figures.
The Spin
Left narrative
Fox News finds itself in real jeopardy concerning its defamation lawsuit defense. While media outlets rarely lose defamation cases, the amount of evidence against the network is exponentially growing. Not only did it knowingly promote false claims, but — as detailed in Grossberg's filings — the network also tried to cover its tracks by targeting its own employees.
Right narrative
While Grossberg's allegations should undoubtedly be investigated, the defamation lawsuit against the network and the stories that have accompanied it — gleefully parroted by the media — are baseless. Freedom of the press is foundational to democracy, and to continue to push that Fox is guilty of anything but journalism is dangerous.