Report: Fox News is worried about legal action after misleading viewers about coronavirus

[CatWoman]

Vanity Fair's Gabe Sherman: Fox News is concerned their downplaying of Coronavirus exposes them “to potential legal action” from misled viewers


JOY REID (HOST): People who are watching cable news are a lot more, you know, in the "news junkie" category right?

And then in the case of that, your choices are MSNBC or CNN or, if you're choosing Fox, it's because it favors the Republicans. It's because it's news that favors your world view. That's why you're watching it. So, I think that people assume that everyone knows the failures of the Trump administration in dealing with this. They'll find out eventually when it hits them. But just in watching -- depending on what you're watching, you know more or you know less.

GABE SHERMAN (SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, VANITY FAIR): Oh, without question, I think that has been a fixture of this presidency from day one. If you look at polls that show Republicans' views on certain issues, it's a completely different reality than people who gather their news from a wide array of sources.

And I think what's really interesting, I think unique about the Coronavirus story is that Fox News tried to do their original playbook, which was dismiss it as a hoax, say that this is another partisan attempt by Democrats to hurt Donald Trump, and this was the case where they could not prevent reality. Fox News is a very powerful media organization, but it cannot stop people from dropping dead. And what happened is that people did start dying. We did see hot spots in New York, on the West Coast and now we're seeing one in the deep South, which is getting closer to Trump country, and Fox News has had to pivot to actually cover this as a real story.

And so, you know, the president's handling of this is going to be viewed ultimately by how we get out of it, but this is a case where at least on the macro story of us understanding of what is happening in America, Fox viewers are now confronting what the rest of us have known since February and early March, is that this is a global pandemic that is unprecedented in American history.

https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/fox-news-worried-about-legal-action-after-misleading-viewers-about-coronavirus?fbclid=IwAR0imiJAodO7ldPjtBdy6DYkx7YFqvLL9EcLiTw-dBC0dbDtl5n2Dqxixic

[dalton99a]

1. There must be consequences for the lies they spread.

[CatWoman]

3. Word

[iluvtennis]

61. + 1. nt

[BlancheSplanchnik]

7. This times a quadrillion.

Fux spewz is poison.

[DownriverDem]

58. So it looks like

trump is hurting and perhaps will kill some of his own supporters, I've been told by trumpers that all I post is negative stuff about what is going on. Such bull. Silly me. I thought because of the crisis that these folks would stop being so petty & hateful.

[Grokenstein]

69. Trashcan Men.

[Xipe Totec]

2. They bet the farm on Trump, and now they've bought the farm for Trump. nt

[LakeArenal]

31. Gave the farm to trump is more like it.

[2naSalit]

4. K&R

We should ALL FILE SUIT AGAINST THEM for endangerment of all of us!

[abakan]

41. I agree

We should sign up as many people we can and file a class action suit for endangering our lives.
The suit should be large enough to shut them down and take away their license.

[aggiesal]

56. Completely agree ...

Even if we don't watch Fox News, we have to interact with Faux watchers,
and they in turn will eventually infect us.

To get an FCC license, you have to meet the FCC Requirement "To serve the public interest"
I stated this last Thursday:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=2456823

Fox News has completely violated this, and should be stripped of its FCC license.

[mwooldri]

68. Fox news is a cable outfit.

No FCC license required.

Plus Fox News is (or at least was) part of Fox Entertainment so that tells you where their priorities are.

[wnylib]

57. Force them out of business with lawsuits.

Nobody will get a penny from the suits because Faux TV will spend a fortune on lawyers and PR, then will pull a CYA bankruptcy. Push it until they can no longer succeed with CYA and have to shut down.

Do the same with Hannity and the rest of the media scum.

[Takket]

5. nothing would make me happier......

but can Fox actually be proven to be responsible? If someone says "well I went out because I heard this was a hoax and then I got sick", can the courts actually hold Fox responsible for that, especially given the first amendment?

Is there any precedent for a media organization being held responsible for deliberately misleading its viewers in a crisis?

What WOULD be damning is if through discovery we could get our hands on communications (Which we know exist) between drumpf and Fox coordinating downplaying the crisis to help him.

[treestar]

13. I don't think there is

fraud maybe? Discovery could also show if anyone at Fox knew they were allowing misrepresentation of the situation.

It would seem like Dump would be liable too.

If a doctor told someone that, it could be malpractice. Wonder if they had any MD on to say that? I don't know if Fox would ever look to experts though.

[jaxexpat]

39. "precedent for a media organization being held responsible for deliberately misleading its viewers"

I think it was the possibility of being held responsible (maybe even getting sued) for misleading narratives which guided the use of "The Fairness Doctrine" for many decades. I don't think it's mere coincidence that its demise marked the rise of "conservative" media which saw an opportunity for big profits in people who believe it a useless, restrictive and out-of-fashion ethic.
Those same newly wide-open-eyed children ravenously feeding on the 24/7/365 cable teat replaced that ethic with "truth" broadcasting. What a recipe: Let stand for 35 years or so, occasionally stirring up with an endless "war on terror" and voila! a fine new, armed, radicalized and properly indoctrinated group ready to go off. Topped with a vacuous would be playboy/would be mafia don and served to a nation looking for heroes in comic book characters.
What is the proper "precedent for a media organization being held responsible for deliberately misleading its viewers"?

[Blasphemer]

43. I think it would be very hard to win a case like this against a media organization

What little I know relates to defamation cases against the media and, there, intent/malice is critical (i.e. you knew it was false and published with an intent to defame). I would imagine that there would be a similar issue here - did Fox intend to get people sick? What did they actually know regarding what was true? Was it reasonable for them to believe what Trump was telling them? Even with a negligence claim, you need to show proximate causation. That would be a real stretch. A person could have had the virus even before anything was reported on the news, misleading or not. But, I defer to anyone who knows more about the law than I do on this issue.

I agree, however, that if cases like this could get to discovery, the results of discovery alone would be damning. It's worth going after Fox for that reason alone.

[Yeehah]

46. Not a defamation theory ....

Maybe something akin to public nuisance. If their willful actions knowingly caused harm to the general public, they should be held accountable.

[Blasphemer]

47. Right. Was just trying to draw an analogy regarding the standard that might be used

Hadn't thought about an analogy to nuisance but yes, I imagine some creative lawyers can find a good argument to base the claim on.

[Yeehah]

51. Fox "News" should be subject to anti-pollution laws

Like a pig farm with overflowing manure ponds.

[cstanleytech]

63. If someone misleads you about an investment can you sue them? Yes.

If you are found not guilty of a crime in criminal court can you be sued in civil court? OJ would say yes.
So can Fox News be sued? Yes.
Now winning any of those cases is the another topic as you will have a high hurdle to overcome first the jury and then the varies appeals courts including SCOTUS any of which can throw a verdict in your favor out.

[nolabear]

6. They're showing Cuomo's daily briefing today.

[CatWoman]

9. REALLY?????

[nolabear]

11. Yep. Pretty interesting, eh?

[PA Democrat]

49. OMG. Imagine the shock their viewers are in for

when they see a REAL leader!

[Andy823]

16. Wow

that's going to piss someone off, big time! Could this be the end of the "love affair" trump has with fox?

[tavernier]

20. This is BIG

[MaryMagdaline]

30. If they're showing Cuomo's presser it's because it helps ratings

Fox must have been losing viewers who were watching the press conferences.

Even for those of us who live outside of New York, especially those of us who have idiot governors (DeSantis here), Cuomo and Inslee have been godsends

[nolabear]

34. I think they are finally afraid of being on the wrong side of this issue.

They’re about ratings fo sho but the tide is turning. This will be ratings and history.

[MaryMagdaline]

35. You're probably right

[Whatthe_Firetruck]

77. Newsome...

Is doing a good job connecting to Californias, and dropping some truth.

[lagomorph777]

83. I've been watching Cuomo's Power Points and skipping Trump's WH rallies.

I imagine many people are; information is a matter of life and death. Trump is scaring even his own idiots with his blatant insanity.

[Cha]

80. oh wow.. fox decided to step

into the light for however long.

Can you imagine the meeting?!

[SheltieLover]

8. ABSOLUTELY must be held to account! 🤬

OMG dimwit is going to spaz out ...

[Girard442]

10. Probably worried about someone invoking...

ipso facto torchus pitchforkus.

[Wellstone ruled]

12. Murdoch Media never suffered

consequences in Australia or England,yes some small refusal as to Satellite licensing, and he was allowed to expand his media empire with out penalty. True they kicked his sorry ass out of Australia,but,never stripped him of his Propaganda Empire.

Murdoch will continue to strangle progress with his Propaganda Machine until he is throttled .

[TheBlackAdder]

26. It doesn't help that the Murdochs took preparations for their own family in January/February.

[Wellstone ruled]

29. Yes they did.

[Iggo]

14. They should be worried about illegal action.

They've been priming these people for years. And even if I wasn't too afraid to stand between Fox News and their righteously angry viewers, I'm actually powerless to do so.

[lagomorph777]

84. Great strategy. Arm millions of kooks with guns, then kill their family members.

How's that gonna work out?

[uponit7771]

15. Good !!!

[sop]

17. FOX Business scapegoated Trish Regan for calling the virus another "impeachment scam,"

she was fired for something FOX News hosts had been saying on a regular basis.

[SWBTATTReg]

19. Not good enough to just can trish r., all of them in the faux food chain need to be fired and ...

faux should lose their broadcast licenses for endangering the public good.

[JHB]

36. Trish had bad timing

Her rant came just before the Soviet-grade rewrite of the "Correct Policy That Has Always Been True" which came down from the Party Central Committee (FOX management).

Subsequently, she and her face featured prominently in every ad critical of FOX and Trump about how badly they've mishandled the coronavirus pandemic. She's the Snarling Face of Horseshit that people (even their prime audience) will remember. That's a "bad look" for the FOX brand.


So in proper Soviet form, she gets airbrushed out of the picture.

It's not as if they don't have yet another high-cheekboned Ranting Blonde who can take over.

[SWBTATTReg]

18. faux news screwed up royally on ths and they should be held accountable for this ... for several...

reasons...the first reason is that they endangered the public by falsely presenting the CV as a hoax, and thus getting people off guard (only those idiots that watch faux).

Second of all, by presenting a distorted snapshot of the truth, they caused perhaps death and illness among their viewership, and caused harm to the public good.

They should lose their broadcast licenses ... all of them.

[ancianita]

21. They should lose their FCC licensing and any other pertinent licensing.

[crickets]

28. +1

[uponit7771]

33. THIS !!!!

[Progressive Jones]

22. What should worry FOX News is a phrase that's going to be more commonly

heard as time goes forward.

Armed and Angry Progressives.

[Windy City Charlie]

23. That's why

That's why there's so much of a push to blame China for withholding how bad it was.

[Johnny2X2X]

24. Their viewers don't know the difference.

Last edited Sun Mar 29, 2020, 04:38 PM - Edit history (1)

FOX viewers only watch FOX, they don’t understand that the other news outlets were giving good info to their viewers from the start. Even though FOX suddenly changed their tune about 10 days ago it simply doesn’t register to their viewers that they were getting wrong and dangerous info for several weeks. It’s too big of a jump for them.

[Midnight Writer]

62. I'm afraid you are correct.

[roamer65]

25. Cmon, state attorney generals, sue them out if existence.

[BigmanPigman]

27. I recall reading a quote from tRump putting down

Fux Ruse viewers in a way. Before the election he told someone that all he had to do was con the Fux viewers and he would have it in the bag. He knew how malleable they were. He is a conman after all.

[LakeArenal]

32. If Ghouliani was revoked on Twitter, I think the FCC can revoke their license.

[dreamland]

37. Is there a way to start a class action suit against them?

From all the citizens of the US ?

[democrattotheend]

52. I think you'd need someone with a more particularized injury to bring suit

Such as the family member of someone who died from coronavirus because they didn't take it seriously initially based on reports from Fox. And even then it would be a tough case.

[onecaliberal]

38. It can and must begin now.

[GoCubsGo]

40. Good. They should be.

My they be sued into oblivion. Fucking fuckers.

[Historic NY]

42. They should be, anyone that followed their advice

could probably find a good experience lawyer and sue the shit out of them or perhaps a wealthy individual to do a Gawker on them.

[PatrickforO]

44. Good. What they did was despicable. n/t

[young_at_heart]

45. They knew from the beginning that it wasn't a hoax!!

So, how can they live with themselves?

[Iggo]

54. They sleep just fine.

Wouldn't bother me if they slept in prison cells from here on out.

[Scalded Nun]

48. Sue them so far into the ground they never again see the light of day

I think in a civil court you might have a shot with reckless endangerment.

[bucolic_frolic]

50. New York is a Fox News hotspot

You think of the place as liberal, but just about everyone watches is, and all the 'climbers' in the burbs are glued to it.

[brush]

81. not everyone watches it. I lived there for years and knew better.

Last edited Tue Mar 31, 2020, 04:41 PM - Edit history (1)

[Steelrolled]

53. Filler material for 24x7 cable news

which is why I canceled all of it several years ago. There are some very good international news streaming channels.

[Chainfire]

55. Suing them sounds good

Would the same thing apply to posters on social forums that posted advice that may later be proven to be wrong? It feels good to talk about suing Fox out of business, but it is a pipe dream.

Freedom of the press, even to be dead wrong, must be protected. I don't think it could ever be proven that Fox told lies in an attempt to hurt people. (and truthfully, I don't think that was their motive) They told lies, promulgated by the Republican party and their big business brethren, in order to support Trump. Fox is the propaganda wing of the Republican Party, just as the NRA is the Security wing. I think most people understand that.

If news organizations, or people posing as news organizations, can be shut down over errors in judgement, then all of the free press is dead. That is the same reason that we are pissing and moaning about Trump threatening to sue newspapers over opinion pieces.

What will bring Fox down is when their viewers realize that they have been lied to and abandon the network.

What would help would be if masses of people contacted the Fox advertisers and told the advertisers that they are done with their products, and then follow up with massive boycotts of Fox advertisers. If companies lost half of their buyers over their advertising choices they would reconsider their options.

You can not think in terms that big business, big money, Fox, NRA and the Republicans are separate. They are all integral parts of the same rotten fascist system; and that, friends is why they are always in lock step.

[Bengus81]

59. Hell everyone KNEW that was why they came out later

and got on board with this crisis. Not because they give a DAMN,but because they were afraid of being sued.

[oldsoftie]

60. Dont waste the money. It'll go nowhere.

[LessAspin]

64. K & R

Link to tweet

[Skittles]

65. THEY SHOULD BE

what they did was LITERALLY SICKENING

[I_UndergroundPanther]

66. End Murdoch's citizenship

Deport him and seize his assets.

Shut fox down.

[Blue Owl]

67. Bury this fucking fake shit network once and for all

n/t

[quakerboy]

70. Im sure there will be an out for them

At worst, trump will pardon them all.

When Trump looses the election, the torrent of last second pardons is going to be.. intense. I think its entirely possible we may learn about additional misdoing that we didnt know about via pardons for people that weren't even on anyone's radar.

[BobTheSubgenius]

71. In a more perfect world, they'd be worried about...

...being dragged outside and gutted on live TV.

[ChazInAz]

72. They should be concerned.

At the Nuremburg trials in 1946, the head of Hitler's propaganda organ, Der Sturm, was tried and executed along with the rest of the war criminals.
I'm not big on hanging, but I am not forgiving to propagandists.

[Permanut]

73. Fox News? Misleading viewers?

I'm shocked.

[marble falls]

74. That's rich.

[NotHardly]

75. LOL. Like they care. I expect nothing from this... Rember that BARR is there to protect their arse.

[VOX]

78. I doubt Fox worries much.

They’re so lawyered-up with attack-dog attorneys that their “worry” consists of *maybe* having to make a couple phone calls.

As for the Fox faithful viewers filing lawsuits, I doubt that they’d perceive their talking night light as a threat.

[Upthevibe]

79. And this from Dr. Drew....

[colsohlibgal]

82. Hopefully Justice Prevails

There is no doubt whatsoever that their saying this was a Democratic hoax led to the death of many of their viewers.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

85. I hope so

Not to mention the fact that their creator (Murdoch) apparently realized the severity of the problem long before they stopped spreading misinformation. Hope Trish Regan is sued to the moon and back.