As a passionate moviegoer, I’m keeping an eye on the unfolding drama behind the scenes – the ongoing legal battle concerning Fox News’ coverage of the 2020 presidential election and President Trump’s unfounded allegations of voter fraud. The suspense is building!
In a court filing made on Tuesday in the New York Supreme Court, Smartmatic, a voting equipment company, delineated how unfounded claims that they manipulated votes to favor Joe Biden during the election were excessively propagated by Fox News.
In the course of events as I understand them, it was suggested that I, alongside my fellow media hosts at Fox News Media – the late Lou Dobbs, Jeanine Pirro, and Maria Bartiromo from Fox Business – were apparently dedicated to aiding Trump in validating his supposed fraud claims. This, they say, was so he could keep holding onto his position in office.
In a message to Ronna McDaniel, who was the head of the Republican National Committee at the time, I expressed that I put in a lot of effort for both the President and our political party.
Pirro left Fox News in May to become U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.
As a film critic diving into the world of news, I’m compelled to share an intriguing turn of events: Smartmatic, a tech firm headquartered in London, has launched a whopping $2.7 billion lawsuit against Fox News. The reason? Allegations of broadcasting misleading statements that have reportedly hampered Smartmatic’s potential growth in the United States. Essentially, they claim that Fox News’ actions have tarnished their reputation, making it difficult for them to secure new business opportunities in this vast market.
Fox News settled a similar suit from Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million in 2023.
The argument states that the on-air personalities continued to air false fraud allegations, despite being informed by executives and producers that these claims were untrue.
According to reports, the research team at Fox News, often referred to as “Brainroom,” is said to have informed network producers that Smartmatic’s involvement in the 2020 election was confined to Los Angeles County only. Moreover, they allegedly stated that Smartmatic’s software was not utilized in Dominion voting machines, contradicting another untrue assertion aired on the network.
Fox News argues that their news coverage concerning President Trump’s unfounded statements was significant and falls under the protection of the First Amendment. However, a key aspect of their legal approach involves mitigating potential negative repercussions from these claims.
According to Fox News, the reasons behind Smartmatic’s difficulties in securing new business don’t stem from issues with their reporting, but rather from the ongoing federal investigation concerning their dealings with foreign governments.
In 2019, the U.S. attorney’s office brought charges against Roger Alejandro Piñate Martinez, founder of Smartmatic, along with two other company representatives. They were accused of offering bribes to Philippine officials to secure voting machine contracts in the country back in 2016.
Although Fox News and its parent company, Fox Corp., generally didn’t support Trump’s claims that the election was rigged, the motion suggests that Fox News continued to provide a platform for these assertions to maintain its conservative-leaning audience engaged.
Hollywood Inc.
The presenter of ‘Sunday Morning Futures’ on Fox Business Network is a key figure in Dominion’s allegations that the network spread false information about election fraud.
On November 8, 2020, there was a significant shift (or change of direction) that took place, as Rupert Murdoch, then-Executive Chairman of Fox News, along with his son Lachlan, requested Suzanne Scott, the CEO of Fox News Media, to address the falling ratings of the network following Joe Biden’s election win. Additionally, they examined research to understand why viewers were tuning out.
According to the analysis of performance data, the recommendation for the court document is to emphasize further investigation into potential election fraud.”
“Performance analytics in the court document suggest a need to focus further on the issue of possible election fraud.
According to the statement, this way of thinking had seeped into the company, which was already alarmed about losing viewers to the conservative news network Newsmax following Biden’s victory. The up-and-coming outlet experienced a ratings boost post-election due to its continued backing of Trump’s contention claims.
Consider what our remarkable ratings could become if Fox News fully committed to the ‘Stop the Steal’ campaign,” Jesse Watters, a Fox News host, wrote in a message to Greg Gutfeld.
During November and December 2020, the three individuals mentioned in the lawsuit – Dobbs, Pirro, and Bartiromo – frequently invited Trump’s lawyers Rudolph Giuliani and Sidney Powell on their shows. They propagated false claims suggesting that Smartmatic software was used in Dominion voting machines and manipulated millions of votes.
During the 2020 election in Los Angeles, Smartmatic aimed to use this opportunity as a stepping stone to grow their operations within the U.S. However, according to their defamation lawsuit, Fox News damaged these expansion plans by broadcasting unfounded allegations of fraud.
Instead, Fox News posits that problems associated with Smartmatic’s $282-million agreement with Los Angeles County might strengthen their argument.
On August 1st, a court document submitted by federal prosecutors claimed that county money intended for legitimate purposes was instead channeled into an undisclosed account managed by a fake corporation, which was allegedly used to finance the company’s illegal operations.
Federal prosecutors working on the Smartmatic case in the Philippines have announced their intention to outline comparable suspected scams from Los Angeles County and Venezuela, aiming to demonstrate that the bribery is part of a wider, recurring scheme.
Attorneys from Fox News have submitted a request for county documents, which they think will strengthen their argument. Additionally, it’s anticipated that the network will attempt to present Smartmatic indictments before the judge to create questions about the firm’s standing.
A Smartmatic representative said Fox News’ records request is a diversion tactic.
According to a statement, a representative from Smartmatic claimed that Fox has a habit of lying, and when found out, they try to shift focus. Their recent submission is simply an effort to change the subject away from their persistent spread of lies and slander towards Smartmatic.
The company stated that they have followed the laws applicable not only in Los Angeles County, but also in every location where they conduct their operations.
In addition to what was filed in court on Tuesday, Smartmatic’s documents contained points that disputed the statements publicly made by Fox News.
As a cinephile diving into the world of media drama, I’d rephrase that scenario like this:
On the silver screen of news, it was claimed that I, as an insider, witnessed Fox News parting ways with political analyst Chris Stirewalt and veteran Washington bureau executives Bill Sammon. The catalyst for their dismissal? Their participation in declaring Arizona for Biden on election night, a state with a nail-bitingly close result. This early prediction ruffled feathers within the Trump camp and sent shockwaves through his loyal supporters.
At the time, Fox News said Stirewalt departed as part of a reorganization and Sammon retired.
However, the motion stated that it was Rupert Murdoch who personally approved the decision to part ways with Stirewalt and Sammon from the company, a move intended to appease disgruntled viewers who had switched channels due to their coverage.
The motion referred to a message from Dana Perino, who’s a co-host on the Fox News program “The Five,” detailing a conversation she had with Stirewalt following his termination.
Perino stated that he had clarified to the person – indeed, he was correct; he hadn’t given in, and he lost his job for standing up for what was right.
I’m thrilled to share that both Sammon and Stirewalt are currently based at the Washington bureau of NewsNation, a renowned cable news network under the umbrella of Nexstar Media Group.
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2025-08-21 03:31