Fox News says executives can't be held liable for election lies in pre-trial hearing

[marmar]

Fox News says executives can’t be held liable for election lies in pre-trial hearing
Judge appears skeptical of network’s arguments as both sides seek summary judgment in defamation case


(Guardian UK) A lawyer for Fox argued its top executives were not directly involved enough in its coverage of false claims of voter fraud during the 2020 election to justify holding them liable for defamation.

Erin Murphy, Fox’s attorney, defended Fox during the second and final day of a pre-trial hearing in Delaware on Wednesday in the closely watched $1.6bn defamation case. It was part of her multi-pronged defense to rebut evidence presented by attorneys for Dominion Voting Systems that top executives, including Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch, knowingly aired false claims about the company.

Dominion is suing the rightwing network over its decision to repeatedly air false claims about its voting equipment as Donald Trump and allies tried to overturn the last presidential election.

“You have to bring it home to someone who’s directly involved in the publication,” Murphy said. “Even if they have evidence that an executive knew Fox News was generally running coverage about election fraud … it’s not specific to oh yes we have knowledge about these four particular allegations.” .............(more)

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/mar/22/fox-news-lawsuit-dominion-defamation-case

[LakeVermilion]

1. How about all of those attempts by Dominion

to correct the record. One or two of those should have reached the executives. I doubt that Dominion would be contacting Tucker or Shawn.

[Celerity]

3. 3,600 separate attempts (per MSNBC tonight) to get Fox to respond, and nothing replied to!

[patphil]

2. What a crock! How could you hold that position and be ignorant of editorial content.

It reminds me of Sgt. Schultz from"Hogan's Heroes"..."I see nothing".
They claim ignorance? This BS was being put forward on FOX every night for years!
If anything, it was most definitely willful ignorance, and that isn't a credible defense.

As "top executives" it's their job to know what they are broadcasting, and there's no way they weren't aware of the steaming pile of BS coming out of their commentators mouths.

[tinymontgomery]

7. Sgt. Schultz

[Ohio Joe]

4. 'Hey, I'm just in charge'

Yeah… Bullshit.

[hatrack]

5. I'm not responsible for what we broadcast!!!

I just have a corner office and pull in a seven-figure salary.

[Fullduplexxx]

6. Orders from the top is to protect those at the top

[modrepub]

8. Another Reason Why

you should never blindly follow orders from above. Because the folks above you will throw you under the bus to save their own sorry asses without a second thought.

[sarcasmo]

9. Tucker, Hannity and Judge box wine, we're all executives.

[C_U_L8R]

10. It's a freakin media company.

Of course they are responsible. It's the very essence of their existence.

[dickthegrouch]

11. Fine, arrest all of the pundits.

See how quickly ALL of them turn on the executives.

On edit:
As a bonus they'd be de facto closed down, because there'd be no-one remaining to be on air.