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☆ Rupert Murdoch Can Do Whatever He Wants. It’s Becoming a Problem. - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( William D. Cohan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Mr. Murdoch’s heir apparent, Lachlan, defended Fox and the Dominion settlement when speaking to investors on May 9. Contrast Mr. Murdoch with, say, Jamie Dimon, the chairman and chief executive of JPMorgan Chase, the nation’s largest bank. Does anyone at Fox or News Corp hold Mr. Murdoch accountable in the same way? One way to rein in Mr. Murdoch may lie with Smartmatic. Smartmatic, or even the recently filed shareholder lawsuit against Fox, could end up pressuring Fox, and indirectly News Corp, to scrap their dual-class stock structures.

Persons: Murdoch’s, Lachlan, ”, “, ” Ms, Minow, Roberts, Shari Redstone, Murdoch, Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase, Joaquin Duato, Johnson, Dimon, he’s, Duato Organizations: Fox, Fox News, Fox Corporation, Comcast, Paramount Global, JPMorgan, Mr, News Corp Locations: America

☆ Fox News pays $12 million to former producer who accused the network of rampant sexism
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Marshall Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Fox News will pay $12 million to settle a pair of major lawsuits brought by former producer Abby Grossberg, her lawyer said Friday. The settlement marks the fourth case Fox and its owners have put to an end this year, including the blockbuster Dominion defamation case, where the network paid out a whopping $787 million. In addition to the Dominion saga, Grossberg claimed that she suffered through a treacherous onslaught of workplace sexism and rampant misogyny. According to the lawsuits, Grossberg witnessed flagrant use of the C-word, male colleagues openly debating which female politicians were “more f–kable,” and was asked uncomfortable sexual questions. Fox News aggressively rebutted these claims while Grossberg’s lawsuits were pending.

Persons: CNN —, Abby Grossberg, Grossberg, Tucker Carlson, “, ” Grossberg, ”, Grossberg’s, Maria Bartiromo, “ Tucker Carlson, —, Jack Smith, Carlson, Jesse Watters, Gerry Filippatos Organizations: CNN, CNN — Fox, Fox, Systems, Fox News, Network, ” CNN, Bartiromo, Trump Locations: New York, Delaware

☆ Fox News Agrees to Pay $12 Million to Settle Hostile Workplace Suit
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Katie Robertson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The accusations against Fox by Ms. Grossberg, 42, sprung partly from the Dominion case. Ms. Grossberg joined Fox News in 2019 as a senior producer for the host Maria Bartiromo. In August 2022, she moved to Mr. Carlson’s team as the head of booking. Mr. Carlson’s staff in New York was led by Mr. Wells, the senior executive producer. After filing her lawsuits, Ms. Grossberg drip-fed audio recordings from her time at Fox to other media organizations.

Persons: Grossberg, Fox, Carlson, “ Tucker Carlson, ” Fox, Maria Bartiromo, Carlson’s, Nancy Pelosi, Wells, Rudy Giuliani, Donald J, Trump, Ted Cruz of, Bartiromo, Biden’s Organizations: Fox, Dominion, Delaware, Fox News, Mr, Republican Party Locations: Delaware, New York, Florida, Maine, Ted Cruz of Texas

☆ Jesse Watters to Fill Tucker Carlson’s Old Slot as Fox Shuffles Prime-Time Lineup
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Jeremy W. Peters | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Fox News shook up its prime-time lineup on Monday in the first major reorganization to its most popular programming since the beginning of the Trump administration. The moves include permanently filling the 8 p.m. slot that has been vacant since the network canceled Tucker Carlson’s show in April. Mr. Gutfeld’s show will now be at 10 p.m.Laura Ingraham, who has hosted a 10 p.m. program since 2017, will move to 7 p.m., occupying the hour that Mr. Watters has been hosting. Sean Hannity, a mainstay at Fox News since its early days, will remain in his 9 p.m. slot. Fox’s prime time ratings have consistently been the highest in cable news but have fallen off by roughly one-third since the network took Mr. Carlson off the air.

Persons: Trump, Tucker, Jesse Watters, Greg Gutfeld, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Gutfeld’s, Laura Ingraham, Watters, Sean Hannity, Carlson Organizations: Fox News

☆ Fox News finalizing settlement with former producer who accused network of coercion and rampant sexism
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

She later accused Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott of being complicit in the alleged coercion and claimed Fox’s lawyers deleted messages from her phone. Grossberg also made a number of eye-popping allegations about the workplace environment at Fox News, accusing the network of rampant sexism. Fox News previously said that Grossberg’s lawsuit was “riddled with false allegations.” The network repeatedly insisted that its lawyers always acted appropriately. Regardless, Grossberg’s eleventh-hour lawsuit unquestionably changed the course of Dominion’s case against Fox News, which ultimately settled for an unprecedented $787 million. Smartmatic, another election technology company suing Fox News, has also subpoenaed Grossberg to testify in its case against the network.

Persons: CNN —, Abby Grossberg, Lachlan Murdoch, Maria Bartiromo, Tucker Carlson, Suzanne Scott, Grossberg, ” Grossberg, Nancy Pelosi “ Organizations: CNN, CNN — Fox, Fox News, Systems, Fox, Dominion, New Locations: New York

☆ White House rips Fox News as the right-wing channel launches sinister attacks on Biden
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The White House is disgusted with Fox News — even more so than usual. Which is why, perhaps, the White House felt the need to formally respond, even though, typically, the Biden administration opts not to get in the mud with the network. Asked about the “dictator” charge on Wednesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre replied, “There are probably about 787 million things that I can say about this. Meanwhile, White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates went nuclear on the outlet for its story about the pride flag. No such statement was released about the story Fox News published about the supposed “controversial new transgender flag” the White House flew over the weekend for Pride Month.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, ”, Donald Trump’s, Fox, Karine Jean, Pierre, ” Jean, Andrew Bates, Bates, “ Fox, ” chyron, Tucker Carlson Organizations: CNN, Fox News, Democratic White, Fox, White, Dominion, Systems, White House, Pride Month, Biden Locations: United States

☆ Fox News stirs outrage after labeling Biden a ‘wannabe dictator.’ The network says it ‘addressed’ the situation
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Fox News on Wednesday acknowledged that an onscreen banner calling President Joe Biden a “wannabe dictator” was inappropriate and said it had taken steps to address the situation internally. “The chyron was taken down immediately and was addressed,” a Fox News spokesperson told CNN in a statement. “WANNABE DICTATOR SPEAKS AT THE WHITE HOUSE AFTER HAVING HIS POLITICAL RIVAL ARRESTED,” the onscreen text read. Biden and his White House have repeatedly stressed that he does not involve himself in Justice Department investigations and have said that the DOJ works independently of the White House’s influence. But Fox is fighting another defamation case from Smartmatic, another voting technology company, which is seeking a staggering $2.7 billion in damages.

Persons: Joe Biden, ”, Fox, KAI, ron, Biden, Donald Trump, Trump, “, Brian Kilmeade, Tucker Carlson, 4u3meRzXUY — Oliver Darcy, Hillary, Carlson Organizations: New, New York CNN — Fox, Fox News, CNN, Department, DOJ, Fox, MSNBC, Trump, National Archives, Dominion Voting Systems Locations: New York, Biden’s Washington, DC, Wilmington , Delaware, Washington

☆ Fox News Tells Tucker Carlson to Stop Posting Videos on Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Jeremy W. Peters | Benjamin Mullin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After the discovery of one particularly incendiary text from Mr. Carlson, the Fox Corporation board decided to begin an internal investigation into his conduct. Mr. Carlson’s cancellation — he is still an employee of Fox unless the network decides to let him out of his contract — has upended Fox’s lucrative and popular prime-time lineup. Roughly one-third of its prime-time audience has tuned out since Mr. Carlson was taken off the air. Mr. Carlson’s lawyers have argued that Fox News breached its contract with Mr. Carlson first, in part by failing to prevent his private messages from being disclosed. The former Fox host also believes his Twitter show is protected speech under the First Amendment, according to a person with knowledge of Mr. Carlson’s legal strategy.

Persons: Carlson, —, Fox, Mr Organizations: Fox Corporation, Fox, Fox News, Twitter

In the month since the settlement, Fox has refused to comment in detail on the case or the many subsequent setbacks. That has left a string of unanswered questions: Why did the company not settle earlier and avoid the release of private emails and texts from executives and hosts? How did Fox’s pretrial assessment so spectacularly miss the mark? Repeatedly, Fox executives overlooked warning signs about the damage they and their network would sustain, The Times found. When pretrial rulings went against the company, Fox did not pursue a settlement in any real way.

☆ Making a Michael J. Fox Movie With Michael J. Fox’s Movies
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Robert Ito | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When Davis Guggenheim approached Michael J. Guggenheim’s wife, the actress Elisabeth Shue, had worked with Fox before, starring as his girlfriend in the second and third installments of the “Back to the Future” series. Even so, Fox initially balked at the idea of a movie, particularly one centered on tales he had already written about in four best-selling memoirs. Guggenheim wanted to make a movie with as much life and humor as its subject, a fun, fast-paced effort not unlike, say, a movie starring Michael J. In the end, Fox relented, albeit with one request: no violins.

☆ Tucker Carlson’s Twitter Show Complicates Elon Musk’s Bid to Win Back Advertisers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Suzanne Vranica | Patience Haggin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson calls the social-media platform the ‘last big one’ that allows free speech. Photo: Tucker CarlsonTucker Carlson ’s announcement that he is moving to Twitter isn’t getting an enthusiastic reception on Madison Avenue, as many advertisers are already skittish about spending on the Elon Musk-owned social-media platform. Mr. Carlson said Tuesday that he is launching a show on Twitter, just weeks after Fox News canceled his nightly telecast. Mr. Carlson was one of Fox’s most popular anchors, but his controversial brand of programming repelled blue-chip advertisers, and he was the target of organized advertiser boycotts.

☆ ‘Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie’ Review: Hiding in Plain Sight
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Ben Kenigsberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

“Still” certainly doesn’t sugarcoat Fox’s life with Parkinson’s. At another point, a makeup artist gives him a touch-up because a fall has broken bones in his face. But such moments are reminders of just how much any movie would necessarily leave unseen. Marty McFly emerges as an almost autobiographical creation, because the making of “Back to the Future” (1985) required Fox to engage in a bit of temporal dislocation himself. To fulfill his obligations to the sitcom “Family Ties” while making the movie, he had to shuttle between sets, with little sleep in between.

☆ Disinformation researcher who led now-defunct DHS unit sues Fox News for defamation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The researcher, Nina Jankowicz, briefly served in the Biden administration as head of the now-defunct Disinformation Governance Board, which was housed in the Department of Homeland Security. The lawsuit is the latest in a series of high-profile defamation cases brought against Fox News in recent years. The network last month settled a lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million, the largest publicly known settlement in US history. Smartmatic’s case survived a motion to dismiss filed by Fox News last year and continues to move through the court system. Lachlan Murdoch, the chief executive of Fox Corporation, the parent company of the right-wing channel Fox News, said on Tuesday that the company will fight Smartmatic’s lawsuit.

May 9 (Reuters) - Broadcaster Fox Corp (FOXA.O) beat estimates for third-quarter revenue and adjusted profit on Tuesday, as Chief Executive Lachlan Murdoch affirmed the company’s prime-time programming strategy following its recent $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems and dismissal of star host Tucker Carlson. Dominion had sued Fox for $1.6 billion over its coverage of debunked vote-rigging claims about the voting technology firm. Total revenue rose 18% to $4.08 billion, inching past analysts' estimates of $4.03 billion, according to Refinitiv data. Fox's ad revenue also surged 43% to $1.88 billion, well past the expectation of $1.67 billion. The upbeat results from Fox underscore the cautious approach by advertisers who are mostly buying slots on dominant networks.

☆ Fox Producer Dismisses, for Now, Case Accusing Network of Coercion
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Katie Robertson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A former Fox News producer who has accused the network of coercing her into providing misleading testimony has dismissed one of her lawsuits against the company, at least for now. In a court filing on Friday in Delaware Superior Court, Abby Grossberg, who worked for the hosts Maria Bartiromo and Tucker Carlson, said that she was voluntarily dismissing the complaint without prejudice, which means the case can be brought again. Ms. Grossberg had claimed in the lawsuit that she had been pressured and coached by Fox’s lawyers to protect the company and lie in her sworn deposition as part of the Dominion Voting Systems case against Fox. Fox settled with Dominion for $787.5 million in April, just before the trial was about to begin in the high-profile defamation case.

☆ Fox’s Costs From Defamation Suit Lead to a Quarterly Net Loss
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Michael M. Grynbaum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Lachlan Murdoch, the executive chairman of the Fox Corporation, conceded on Tuesday that a Delaware judge’s pretrial rulings against the company “severely limited our defense at trial” and contributed to his decision to settle the landmark defamation case brought by Dominion Voting Systems. Mr. Murdoch, on a call with investors and analysts, called the $787.5 million settlement — believed to be the largest in the history of defamation law — “a decision clearly in the best interest of the company and its shareholders.”In a remark that echoed the trademark defiance of his father, Rupert Murdoch, he also defended the conduct of Fox News personnel, saying the settlement “in no way alters Fox’s commitment to the highest journalistic standards across our networks, or our passion for unabashedly reporting the news of the day.”His remarks came after Fox revealed a real-world consequence of the landmark settlement: The company swung to a net loss in the first three months of the year, its quarterly revenue erased — and then some — by payments associated with resolving the lawsuit with Dominion, an election technology firm.

☆ Fox News anchor Bret Baier’s reputation takes hit after text messages reveal what he said in wake of 2020 election
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —Bret Baier’s standing as a “fair and balanced” newsman is being called into question like never before. The Fox News chief political anchor has long enjoyed a strong reputation in Washington circles and among viewers, anchoring major news events for the network and moderating presidential debates. That reputation, however, has been ruptured in recent months by the release of leaked private text messages sent in the wake of the 2020 presidential election, casting the “Special Report” anchor in a dramatically different light. “We need to do something to reassure our core audience,” Carlson wrote Baier in the wake of the Arizona call, according to The Beast. The revelations about Baier are especially noteworthy given that he is the face of Fox News’ so-called “straight news” division.

☆ Fox demands Media Matters stop publishing leaked Tucker Carlson videos
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Jon Passantino | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Fox sent a cease-and-desist letter on Friday to Media Matters, the progressive watchdog, and its president, demanding that it take down embarrassing behind-the-scenes videos of Tucker Carlson attacking Fox News’ streaming service and making crude remarks while joking with staff. “For Fox to argue otherwise is absurd and further dispels any pretense that they’re a news operation. Carlson referred to a Dominion lawyer as a “slimy little motherf**ker” and confessed to his producer “the hate” that he felt for him. It’s totally bad for you to feel that way,” Carlson said. “But that guy, he triggered the sh*t out of me.”The footage also showed Carlson trashing the right-wing network’s streaming service Fox Nation, expressing frustration that the platform “sucks” and complaining that its “unbelievable” shortcomings were a “betrayal” of his efforts.

☆ Fox says it settled Dominion lawsuit to ‘buy peace,’ as it tries to block release of more material in the case
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Fox said in a court filing Wednesday that it settled the monster defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million to “buy peace,” and strongly opposed motions to unseal additional redacted material in the case. “It would create profoundly perverse incentives the next time parties are encouraged to settle a high-profile trial,” Mowery added. Fox has redacted significant swaths of the material, which news outlets have objected to. Days after Fox settled the lawsuit with Dominion, the company fired its star prime time host, the right-wing extremist Tucker Carlson. “It was three against one, at least,” Carlson wrote in the hours after the Jan. 6 attack.

☆ Tucker Carlson’s racist text message shouldn’t be surprising: Analysis
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Tucker Carlson sent a racist text message that “set off a panic at the highest levels of Fox” and ultimately led to his firing, The New York Times reported Tuesday. The toxic stream of hate that flowed each night from “Tucker Carlson Tonight” made the program anathema to advertisers, with blue chip companies boycotting the show. On Tuesday, after The Times reported on Carlson’s racist text message, ADL head Jonathan Greenblatt said, “What’s not news is the fact that Tucker Carlson is a white nationalist. Neff’s termination came after CNN reported that he had been secretly posting racist and sexist remarks in an online forum. A spokesperson for Fox declined to comment on the January 2021 text message.

☆ Super Bowl LVII most-watched US telecast ever after updated figures
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Super Bowl LVII has been announced as the most-watched US telecast of all-time after the official figures were adjusted by Nielsen. A day after the title game, Nielsen announced that Super Bowl LVII had averaged 113 million viewers across Fox’s television and digital properties making it the third most-watched television program of all-time. The total of 115.1 million viewers includes those watching the Super Bowl LVII across Fox, Fox Deportes and digital streaming services, according to a Nielson source. Eagles fans react while watching Super Bowl LVII at City Tap House in Philadelphia. In February, Fox Sports said that the Apple Music Halftime Show featuring Rihanna drew an average of 118.7 million viewers, making it the second most-watched performance in Super Bowl history.

☆ Tucker Carlson texted 'It's not how white men fight,' New York Times reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Jon Passantino | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —In a newly revealed text message, ousted Fox News host Tucker Carlson made a racist comment and said he found himself briefly rooting for a mob of Trump supporters to kill a person, according to the New York Times. The text message alarmed Fox’s board of directors and played a role in Carlson’s abrupt firing last month, the paper reported. Tucker Carlson did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment. At the end of his text, Carlson reportedly continued that he does not condone violence. “What’s not news is the fact that Tucker Carlson is a white nationalist,” Greenblatt tweeted.

☆ Windfall tax seizure case in Michigan deepens appellate split on class standing issue
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Alison Frankel | Thomson Reuters | Alison Frankel Has Covered High-Stakes Commercial Litigation As A Columnist For Reuters Since A Dartmouth College Graduate | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The county auctioned Fox's property for about $25,000 — and kept the $22,000 difference between the sale price and Fox's tax obligation. But Fox’s class action did not name only Gratiot County as a defendant. Circuit Court disagreed. The 6th Circuit in the Fox case agreed with the 2nd Circuit's holding that trial courts must consider constitutional standing issues ahead of class certification. The Michigan counties that challenged class certification were represented at the 6th Circuit by Douglas Curlew of Cummings, McClorey, Davis & Acho.

☆ Ron DeSantis is polling at RFK Jr.'s level
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Harry Enten | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Ron DeSantis has spent the past few months running to the right ahead of his expected entry into the 2024 Republican presidential primary campaign. So far at least, those efforts have not paid off in Republican primary polling, with DeSantis falling further behind the current front-runner, former President Donald Trump. Early polling problemsThe Fox poll is not alone in showing DeSantis floundering. Candidates polling the way DeSantis is now have gone on to win about 20% of the time. Moderates and liberals made up about 30% of potential Republican primary voters in the Quinnipiac poll.

☆ The Week in Business: High-Profile Media Ousters
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Marie Solis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

The move came less than a week after the company paid $787.5 million to settle a defamation suit with Dominion Voting Systems. Soon after Mr. Carlson was fired, CNN announced that it had “parted ways” with Don Lemon, a longtime star on the network who most recently was a morning show co-host. First Republic’s troubles are part of a wider banking crisis that began with the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank in mid-March. (April 30-May 6)A Highly Anticipated Fed MeetingThese days, aren’t all meetings of the Federal Reserve highly anticipated? But the Fed signaled that much uncertainty lay ahead as it sought a narrowing path to a soft landing, made narrower by the collapses of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank.

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