Fox News, one of the most popular news networks in the United States, is preparing to defend itself against a lawsuit filed by a second voting machine company. The lawsuit, filed by Smartmatic, accuses Fox News of spreading false information about the company and its involvement in the 2020 presidential election.
Smartmatic is a company that provides voting technology and services to governments around the world. The company was involved in the 2020 presidential election in several states, including Arizona, Georgia, and Pennsylvania. However, Smartmatic was not involved in the vote counting or tabulation in any of these states.
Despite this, Fox News aired several segments in which its hosts and guests made false statements about Smartmatic’s involvement in the election. These statements included claims that Smartmatic had ties to Venezuela’s socialist government and that its technology was used to rig the election in favor of Joe Biden.
Smartmatic has denied these claims and has accused Fox News of spreading false information that has damaged the company’s reputation and business prospects. The lawsuit seeks $2.7 billion in damages.
This is not the first lawsuit filed against Fox News over its coverage of the 2020 presidential election. Dominion Voting Systems, another voting machine company, filed a similar lawsuit against Fox News in January 2021. Dominion’s lawsuit also seeks billions of dollars in damages.
Fox News has denied the allegations made by both Smartmatic and Dominion and has vowed to fight the lawsuits in court. The network has argued that its coverage of the election was protected by the First Amendment and that it was simply reporting on allegations made by President Trump and his supporters.
However, legal experts say that Fox News may have a difficult time defending itself against these lawsuits. The network may be held liable for spreading false information if it knew or should have known that the information was false. In addition, the lawsuits could lead to damaging revelations about Fox News’ editorial practices and relationships with political figures.
The lawsuits filed by Smartmatic and Dominion are just the latest examples of the legal challenges facing media outlets in the age of social media and political polarization. As news organizations compete for viewers and clicks, they may be tempted to prioritize sensationalism over accuracy, which can lead to legal and reputational risks.
In the end, the lawsuits against Fox News may serve as a warning to other media outlets to be more careful in their reporting and to prioritize accuracy over sensationalism. As the saying goes, “journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations.”
