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March 7 (Reuters) - Fox Corp (FOXA.O) Chairman Rupert Murdoch questioned whether hosts Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham “went too far” in their coverage of voter fraud claims, according to an email contained in a trove of new exhibits in Dominion Voting Systems’ lawsuit against Fox that became public Tuesday. The exhibits unsealed Tuesday contain evidence underlying the parties’ dueling motions for summary judgment, in which they seek pretrial rulings in their favor. The new documents also include more context of testimony and messages that Fox claimed Dominion had “cherry-picked” and “misrepresented” in its filing. Dominion has alleged Fox continued to push the stolen election narrative because it was losing viewers to right-wing outlets that embraced it. Fox argued in court filings that its coverage of claims by Trump's lawyers were inherently newsworthy and protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

☆ Murdoch said Fox News hosts should say the election is over 'to stop the Trump myth' that it was stolen
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In an email, chairman Rupert Murdoch discussed having prime-time anchors acknowledge Biden's win. A joint statement would "go a long way to stop the Trump myth that the election stolen," he wrote. He added: "Not those words, but a refinement would go a long way to stop the Trump myth that the election stolen. Is it 'unarguable that high profile Fox voices fed the story that the election was stolen and that January 6th an important chance to have result overturned'? All the way from Rupert Murdoch on down to the show producers, they knew what they were saying was not true, that it was actually a lie.

☆ Tucker Carlson ‘passionately’ hates Trump, and eight more key revelations about Fox News from new Dominion filings
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The filings expose the face of the network, Tucker Carlson, as a fraud. They show that Rupert Murdoch rejected conspiracy theories about Dominion, despite allowing them to be promoted on his network. But here are some immediate takeaways:► Carlson “passionately” hates Trump: In a number of private text messages, Carlson was harshly critical of Trump. I truly can’t wait.” Carlson added of Trump, “I hate him passionately.” The Fox host said of the Trump presidency, “That’s the last four years. There isn’t really an upside to Trump.”► Murdoch rejected conspiracies: In his January deposition, Murdoch was repeatedly asked about various electronic voting conspiracy theories — and he rejected all of them.

☆ Rupert Murdoch told Jared Kushner his team said Biden's ads were more creative than Trump's ahead of the election
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rupert Murdoch told Jared Kushner his team said Biden's ads were more creative than Trump's. Dominion is suing Fox News for defamation related to election fraud claims involving the company. In a follow-up email, Murdoch told Kushner their new Sunday ad was "an improvement" but that one of Biden's was "extremely good," adding: "Or I think so! In a filing that was released last week, Dominion accused Murdoch of sharing "confidential information" with Kushner ahead of the election. "During Trump's campaign, Rupert provided Trump's son-in-law and senior advisor, Jared Kushner, with Fox confidential information about Biden's ads, along with debate strategy (providing Kushner a preview of Biden's ads before they were public)," lawyers for Dominion wrote.

☆ White House lashes out at Tucker Carlson in extraordinary rebuke
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( David Goldman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —The White House lashed out at Fox News host Tucker Carlson Wednesday in an extraordinary rebuke of the late-night commentator who has been airing false depictions of the January 6, 2021, attack this week. Carlson, given access to about 40,000 hours of US Capitol security camera footage by Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, has aired carefully selected clips to portray the pro-Trump mob as peaceful patriots. White House spokesperson Andrew Bates added to the condemnation Wednesday. The Capitol Police has continuously warned that release of all security footage from the Capitol could pose a potential security risk for the building. In one November 2020 exchange, Carlson said Trump’s post-election behavior was “disgusting.” And in another text message conversation, two days before the January 6 attack, Carlson said, “We are very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights.

☆ Tucker Carlson said in private messages that he actually hates Trump 'passionately:' 'I can't handle much more of this'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Matthew Loh | Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Fox News host Tucker Carlson bashed former President Donald Trump in private, per new court filings. "We are very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights," Carlson wrote, per Dominion's filing. "I hate him passionately," Carlson replied immediately after, per the filing. Navarro, a former Trump advisor, publicly admitted in January 2022 to devising a scheme to overturn the 2020 election. Representatives for Fox News and a spokesman for Trump did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment on Carlson's Trump texts.

☆ Tucker Carlson and Fox News execs privately mocked Rudy Giuliani's post-election press conference where hair dye dripped down his head
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Tucker Carlson and Fox News executives privately mocked Rudy Giuliani's post-election press conference. Newly released texts show Carlson saying his "mind is blown" at hair dye dripping down Giuliani's face. One of Carlson's producers called the press conference "desperate and deranged." In one text exchange during Rudy Giuliani's now-infamous press conference on November 19, 2020, Tucker Carlson and his executive producer Justin Wells ridiculed Giuliani. Fox News executive Ron Mitchell ultimately said it would be smart not to cover the press conference.

☆ Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, and Laura Ingraham panicked and texted that Fox News 'hates us' after calling Arizona for Biden and bragged about their 'enormous power' at the network
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

New emails and texts released in Dominion Voting System's case against Fox News highlighted internal strife. The three prime-time hosts, Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham, and Sean Hannity, felt sidelined after the Arizona call. "We are officially working for an organization that hates us," Ingraham texted the two hosts in November 2020. On Tuesday, a new series of internal emails, private texts, and depositions helped illuminate the internal rifts between Fox News hosts Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham, Sean Hannity, and their coworkers after the network called Arizona for Biden. "We are officially working for an organization that hates us," Ingraham texted Hannity and Carlson on November 16, 2020, according to court documents.

☆ Fox News and Dominion spar in new legal filings
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Most legal experts expect that the case will ultimately proceed to trial before a jury in mid-April. Dominion asked the judge to decide the case in their favor because, in their view, Fox has already conceded that its on-air statements about Dominion rigging the 2020 election were false. “Fox has produced no evidence — none, zero — supporting those lies,” Dominion said. Discovery into Fox has proven that from the top of the organization to the bottom, Fox always knew the absurdity of the Dominion ‘stolen election’ story.”“Fox seeks a First Amendment license to knowingly spread lies,” Dominion added, rejecting Fox’s argument that the election-rigging allegations were “newsworthy” and thus protected under the First Amendment. The company continued, “if Fox cared about the truth that it now acknowledges, Fox would have its top personalities reporting that truth to its audience.

☆ Tucker Carlson told former Trump attorney Sidney Powell it was 'cruel and reckless' for her to keep telling people Trump had won without being able to prove it
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Azmi Haroun | Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

New emails and texts from Fox News staff revealed frustration with former Trump lawyer Sidney Powell. The messages were released in Dominion Voting Systems' defamation case against Fox News. In some of the texts, Tucker Carlson says Powell is "lying" and Laura Ingraham says she is "a bit nuts." "The whole thing seems insane to me, and Sidney Powell won't release the evidence," Carlson writes. "Sidney Powell is lying," Carlson wrote in another text to an unknown contact on November 17, 2020.

☆ 'I hate him passionately': New court documents reveal Tucker Carlson's true feelings about Donald Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Fox News host Tucker Carlson's true feelings about former President Donald Trump have been revealed. 'I hate him passionately'In one exchange, Carlson fantasized about not having to cover Trump after the 2020 election, saying that he "passionately" hated Trump. Referring to the decision desk staffers who made the Arizona call, Carlson texted: "Those fuckers are destroying our credibility. At another point in the same day, Carlson texted that "we've got to be incredibly careful right now. Tucker Carlson, who's ardently supported former President Donald Trump on his show, privately said he hated Trump, court filings show.

☆ Private texts and internal emails show what Fox News hosts and employees really thought of their network's news coverage. Read them here.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Dominion Voting Systems submitted in a Tuesday court filing a huge cache of internal emails, private texts, and depositions from Fox News hosts and employees. In one exchange, Carlson and his fellow prime-time hosts, Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity, discussed how they felt sidelined at the network. A screenshot of texts between Tucker Carlson and an unknown employee. Dominion Voting v. Fox NewsTucker Carlson and an unknown person, on Sidney PowellIn an exchange dated November 17, 2020, Carlson said he thought Powell was lying. Dominion Voting v. Fox NewsRon Mitchell and Fox EP Tommy FirthFox executives Ron Mitchell's and Tommy Firth's personal text messages were also cited in Dominion's filing on Tuesday.

The hundreds of pages of new documents include previously unreleased excerpts from key depositions, including Fox Corporation chairman Rupert Murdoch, and are part of Dominion’s defamation lawsuit against Fox News. The transcript was part of a trove of text messages, emails, and other material from Fox News executives and on-air personalities that were made public Tuesday as part of Dominion’s $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against the right-wing channel. “Do you believe that Dominion was engaged in a massive and coordinated effort to steal the 2020 presidential election?” Murdoch was asked by Dominion lawyers. The hundreds of pages of new documents that came out Tuesday include previously unreleased excerpts from key depositions, including Murdoch, and are part of Dominion’s defamation lawsuit against Fox News. Fox News has not only vigorously denied the claims, it has insisted it is “proud” of its 2020 election coverage.

☆ Rupert Murdoch suggested Fox News hosts 'went too far' with election fraud claims
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Murdoch said in an email to Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott on Jan. 21, 2021, in an apparent reference to Fox News hosts Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham. Dominion has argued in its suit that Fox and its ring-wing cable TV channels and talent falsely claimed that its voting machines rigged the results of the 2020 election. The company points to Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch's testimony about being "kept awake at night" regarding ratings and competition following the 2020 election. Trump has repeatedly spread false claims that the 2020 election between him and now-President Joe Biden was rigged. Before then, Dominion and Fox will meet again in Delaware court on March 21 regarding their motions for summary judgement.

☆ Rupert Murdoch testified that Fox News hosts lied about the 2020 election. Here's why it wasn't a misstep.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Rupert Murdoch admitted Fox News hosts endorsed falsehoods about the 2020 election. Murdoch chairs Fox Corporation, which argues it isn't responsible for claims made on subsidiary Fox News. Here was the chair of Fox Corporation, a 91-year-old mogul atop a conservative media empire, admitting to lies that damaged democracy. When asked by Dominion's lawyers in a January deposition whether he thought Fox hosts were truthful about the election, Murdoch was candid. Fox Corporation also manages subsidiaries like Fox Sports, a large number of local TV stations, TMZ, Tubi, and a blockchain company.

☆ Text message shows Fox News president refused to air Nevada election results because it would have sealed Biden's victory, The New York Times reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Fox News was heavily criticized by its viewers after it called Arizona for Biden in 2020. After the immediate backlash, Fox News President Jay Wallace was reluctant to call Nevada, per NYT. Nevada's election result would have made Joe Biden's victory all but certain. The network's election team was prepared to call Nevada on November 6, NYT reported, which would have all but cemented Biden's victory. But in a text message reviewed by the Times, Wallace, who has been the network president since 2018, refused to air the result.

☆ Fox News Defamation Case Tests Reach of Press Protections
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Erin Mulvaney | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Fox News mainly broadcasts from its studios in the News Corp building in New York. Recently released documents in Dominion Voting Systems ’ defamation case against Fox News show the voting-machine company is heading toward an April trial with a body of evidence that could help it overcome hurdles that usually doom lawsuits against media organizations. Media lawyers and academics say these latest court filings provide potentially important revelations about the state of mind of individuals at Fox News at the time the network was airing segments in which associates of former President Donald Trump made false claims that Dominion’s voting machines helped rig the 2020 election in favor of President Biden.

☆ Rupert Murdoch could face FEC fines if he tipped off Jared Kushner about Biden's presidential ads before they aired
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Madison Hall | Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Dominion claims Rupert Murdoch shared info about Biden ads with Trump's campaign in 2020. "During Trump's campaign, Rupert provided Trump's son-in-law and senior advisor, Jared Kushner, with Fox confidential information about Biden's ads, along with debate strategy (providing Kushner a preview of Biden's ads before they were public)," Dominion's lawyers alleged in the filing. "If the allegations are true, this is precisely what Murdoch provided to the Trump campaign," he said. After Trump lost, Murdoch shifted attention to two runoff elections in Georgia for US Senate seats. "My friend Jared Kushner called me saying, 'This is terrible,' Murdoch wrote.

☆ Sarah Palin came all the way to CPAC to campaign against the election system that cost her Alaska's House seat
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Sarah Palin came all the way to CPAC in Maryland to speak out against ranked-choice voting. But in practice, Republicans have seen their chances thwarted by ranked-choice voting systems in both Alaska and Maine, spurring opposition. Mathias also flipped proponents' argument on its head, arguing that ranked-choice voting actually increases divisiveness. He cited infighting between the two Republican candidates — Palin and fellow GOP candidate Nick Begich — that allowed Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola to prevail in both the special election in August and the general election in November. Bryan Metzger/InsiderConservatives in Washington have begun mobilizing against ranked-choice voting as well, with Republicans in Congress criticizing the system.

☆ Fox News election fraud revelations could take down the network’s embattled chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —Who will Rupert Murdoch exile from the Fox kingdom? The stunning levels of misconduct exposed in recent weeks raise questions about the future of Suzanne Scott, the embattled chief executive of Fox News. “They’re leading a trail of crumbs that lead back to her office,” added David Folkenflik, the NPR media correspondent and Murdoch biographer. In each case, Murdoch made the decision to sever ties with top personnel. “They should be reprimanded, maybe got rid of.”As Folkenflik noted, “If you’re Rupert, you can’t fire Rupert.

☆ Fair and Balanced? Murdoch’s private messages show Fox News was instructed to help Republicans
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

But a deposition and private messages made public in recent weeks has exposed that even Rupert Murdoch doesn’t treat Fox News like an actual news organization. But at Fox News, that’s not the case. It’s just striking to hear Fox leadership like Ryan talk openly behind the scenes about what the company is at its core. Fox News has accused Dominion of having “cherry picked” statements to unfairly malign the network. But it’s hard to see how, under any circumstances, these instructions to a supposed network news chief would be appropriate.

☆ Fox executives should be fired for ‘proven misconduct’ exposed in Dominion lawsuit, renowned Yale professor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —The Fox Corporation board has a huge mess on its hands — and it needs to work quickly to clean it up. That’s according to Jeffrey A Sonnenfeld, the renowned professor and senior associate dean for leadership studies at the Yale School of Management. The former House speaker said that Fox News should “move on from Donald Trump” and “stop spouting election lies.”But Sonnenfeld said Ryan’s actions were not enough. In fact, he said Ryan’s “quiet dissent” was “cowardly, ineffective, and immoral,” and pointed out that board members have certain responsibilities under corporate governance law in Delaware, where Fox is incorporated. Fox News has previously said it was “proud” of its 2020 election coverage, which is a statement that only grows more remarkable by the day.

☆ Paul Ryan grilled for remaining on Fox board of directors amid election fraud revelations
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Former House Speaker Paul Ryan was grilled Tuesday over his decision to remain on the board of directors of Fox News’ parent company after damning court documents showed that the right-wing network knowingly peddled election lies to its audience. I have a responsibility to offer my opinion and perspective and I do that, but I don’t go on TV and do it, right. So I offer my perspective, my opinion, often,” Ryan replied. Instead, Ryan said, “I want to see the conservative movement get through this moment. And I think Fox is a big part of the constellation of the conservative movement.”“Is it the solution or the problem?” Sykes asked.

☆ Schumer, Jeffries pressure Murdoch, Fox News over Trump's false election fraud claims
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Trump has repeatedly spread false claims that the election was stolen from him. Earlier this week, Dominion filed court papers that revealed parts of the testimony from Murdoch and other top Fox Corp leadership. In his deposition, Murdoch acknowledged that some of Fox's top TV hosts endorsed false election fraud claims. When Murdoch was asked if he was "now aware that Fox endorsed at times this false notion of a stolen election," Murdoch responded, "Not Fox, no. Fox News has consistently denied that it knowingly made false claims about the election.

☆ In Deposition, Rupert Murdoch Says Fox News Hosts Endorsed False 2020 Election Claims
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Erin Mulvaney | Keach Hagey | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Rupert Murdoch said Fox News commentators endorsed the idea of a stolen election to varying degrees, according to a deposition. Rupert Murdoch said some Fox News hosts and commentators endorsed the false narrative that the 2020 election was stolen, according to testimony in an ongoing defamation lawsuit. Voting-machine company Dominion Voting Systems is suing Fox News for defamation, over false claims made on the network’s air that its technology enabled widespread fraud in the election. The new details emerged in briefs in which the companies laid out evidence they plan to present to a Delaware state court.

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