Movies

From Trump to Newsom, litigious politicians declare open season on news orgs

BBG News

As a film critic, I couldn’t help but chuckle at the legal tussle between Governor Gavin Newsom and Fox News, with some critics viewing it as a taste of their own medicine served by the governor.

Governor Newsom is filing a lawsuit against the right-wing media outlet, claiming they deliberately misrepresented facts about his discussions with President Trump regarding the deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles during city immigration raids, by manipulating the sequence and context of those conversations.

However, some legal experts are worried that it might simply be a heightened partisan continuation of a prevailing pattern: employing defamation lawsuits as a tool for political attacks. This tactic, predominantly wielded by Trump and his associates prior to Newsom’s counteraction, has caused the media industry and its legal advocates to remain vigilant.

Over the past decade following President Trump’s emergence, there has been a significant increase in defamation lawsuits, as pointed out by Ted Boutros, a lawyer at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Los Angeles. This trend has been quite striking and has had a chilling impact on free speech.

Trump has aggressively used the courts to punish media outlets he believes have crossed him.

Trump requested a $15 million settlement from ABC News following George Stephanopoulos’ statement that the president was found guilty of rape, not sexual abuse, in the civil lawsuit filed by E. Jean Carroll. He is also demanding a significant payment from CBS over an alleged manipulation of a “60 Minutes” interview to make former Vice President Kamala Harris appear clearer.

Despite CBS disputing Trump’s assertions and legal experts deeming the case baseless, it appears both sides are moving towards a resolution through a settlement.

Trump pursued legal action against the Des Moines Register over a survey suggesting he would lose Iowa in the 2024 election, transferring the lawsuit to state court on Monday, as the case seemed to struggle at the federal level.

Trump hasn’t stopped there.

Previously, he threatened legal action against CNN and The New York Times regarding their news stories about a preliminary report suggesting that a military strike on Iran’s nuclear program had delayed its progress by just a few months. This past Monday, Tom Homan – Trump’s advisor on border policy – urged the Department of Justice to launch an investigation into CNN for publishing information about an application designed to alert users about ICE activities.

Lee Levine, a former First Amendment lawyer, commented, ‘We’ve entered a completely new realm.’ Everyone has acknowledged this shift and is making adjustments to navigate through the challenges it brings,” said Lee Levine, a retired attorney specializing in First Amendment law, who once represented CBS News.

As a supporter, I’d like to share that Governor Gavin Newsom is stepping forward in the race for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination. Last week, he made a bold move by filing a lawsuit accusing Fox News of deliberately distorting their coverage of a late-night phone conversation between him and Trump on June 6. Subsequently, Trump incorrectly claimed on June 10 that they had recently communicated, while Newsom maintained that there was no contact after June 6.

In the lawsuit, Newsom’s legal team claims that Trump manipulated the timing of their phone call to falsely imply they had discussed deploying troops to Los Angeles – a topic they never actually talked about.

Hollywood Inc.

Dominion’s request for summary judgement sheds light on the true thoughts of certain Fox News executives and broadcasters as they supported Donald Trump’s allegations about voter fraud.

The attorney for the governor contends that the conservative news channel concealed the truth about Trump’s claim that they had talked on June 9, while a scrolling message at the network’s bottom read “Gavin Lied About Trump’s Phone Call.

The lawsuit demands $787 million, which is the amount Fox News paid to Dominion Voting Systems as part of their defamation settlement for false claims, if Governor Newsom doesn’t receive a retraction and on-air apology from host Jesse Watters concerning the segment he presented. (Fox News has labeled the lawsuit as a publicity stunt and stated they will contest it in court.)

Andrew Geronimo, who leads the Dr. Frank Stanton First Amendment Clinic at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, thinks that Governor Newsom’s actions are more aimed at grabbing public attention than influencing the court itself. In his attempts to counter misinformation spread by conservative media sources, Newsom has shown a strong approach, and the lawsuit undeniably intensified this effort.

High-profile politicians can effectively communicate their message without resorting to legal proceedings, according to experts. Geronimo finds it amusing that these individuals believe they’ve suffered substantial financial harm due to reporting, rather than openly addressing the facts directly.

The suggestion that lawyers might take steps to sue journalists who share information leaked by government officials, such as in the Iran intelligence cases, is seen as a significant and worrying trend.

Over an extended period, these suits might gradually erode laws safeguarding freedom of the press, potentially limiting the ability to disclose government information when acquired legally.

In light of recent activities by the U.S. Supreme Court, there’s a possibility that protections for press could be under review, according to Geronimo. For decades, journalists have depended on Supreme Court case law that allows them to publish leaked information as long as they didn’t actively contribute to its illegal acquisition.

As a passionate movie enthusiast, I can’t help but notice the potential impact on big media companies like CBS, who operate under the public eye and interact frequently with government entities. It’s not hard to imagine the chill in the air when these companies find themselves in sensitive situations, such as the ongoing case of “60 Minutes” at Paramount Global. With a $8 billion merger deal on the line, needing approval from the Federal Communications Commission, currently headed by Trump appointee Brendan Carr, it’s no wonder they might tread carefully to avoid any unwanted attention or complications.

Boutros stated, “The combination of libel lawsuits and government officials in authority is a harmful trend.” He explained further, “When the President of the United States uses defamation cases to exert influence over businesses they have power over, it puts those companies in a difficult predicament.

Additionally, it places extra pressure on our judicial system. Meanwhile, as Trump and Newsom garner attention, Boutros points out that there are comparable cases of politically charged defamation claims surfacing, which often involve baseless allegations that require legal scrutiny.

He stated that engaging in a public discussion can be expensive for individuals. Instead, he prefers fewer commercial endeavors and greater media freedom.

Read More

2025-07-01 20:31

Previous post Red Lobster Announces ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ Meal
Next post Spectrum fiber lines vandalism should be labeled ‘domestic terrorism,’ Charter says