Pro-Trump media outlets apparently scramble to ward off lawsuits after pushing election conspiracies

Dominion Voting machine.
(Image credit: AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Last week, Fox Business ran a pre-taped segment during Lou Dobbs' show that appeared to debunk the unfounded claims made by some of the network's hosts about corrupted voting machines in November's election. The segment re-aired during Jeanine Pirro's show Sunday. And Newsmax, one of President Trump's favorite outlets, began covering its tracks recently, as well. Much to the chagrin of some of its fans, the network put a page on its website "clarifying" its election conspiracy theory coverage, airing a similar segment on TV, as well.

Ben Smith, The New York Times' media columnist, and others have suggested the shift is related to legal threats from voting machine companies Smartmatic and Dominion that are alleging defamation. Fox, Smith writes, should take the threat seriously, but it can probably handle drawn-out, expensive litigation, and — despite the opinion of certain hosts — the network, as a whole, doesn't seem too interested in remaining in Trump's good graces these days anyway.

The lawsuits could, however, be "existential" for smaller outlets like NewsMax or One America News Network, which would like to transform into a "Trump TV" of sorts going forward, Smith writes. To do that, he says, they'll need big-time investors, but legal action could scare off potential buyers.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

It's too early to tell how the potential cases would turn out, but the legal experts Smith spoke to think they have legitimate standing. Read more at The New York Times.

Explore More
Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.