Fox News’ top journalists Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Bret Baier could testify in the ongoing case between Fox and Dominion Voting Systems, the Associated Press reported. The report pointed out that it does not guarantee that they will appear in court and whether the case will go to trial or not still remains uncertain.
Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis, the report said, will make a summary judgement ruling in favour of either side or to go forward with a trial.
The voting machine company Dominion accused Fox News of airing false allegations that the company was involved in voter fraud during the 2020 election despite many questioning the doubts the news outlet aired.
Fox News has defended itself by saying that it was “lawfully reporting on newsworthy developments”.
The report also pointed out that Carlson, Hannity and Baier were concerned in private that their network’s reputation was damaged after they made an early declaration that Democrat Joe Biden had won the key state of Arizona during the 2020 US elections.
The network was perceived to be supportive of Donald Trump.
The court received names of 35 potential live witnesses from Fox News and Dominion also submitted 54 names which includes names of Fox News founder Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan, chief executive officer of Fox Corp, and reserved the right to call former House Speaker Paul Ryan, who is on the Fox Corp. board of directors.
Fox pointed to 92-year-old Rupert Murdoch speaking under oath for seven hours at his deposition and suggested that the testimony would suffice. But justice Davis could under Delaware law compel Murdoch to appear before court.
Fox accused Dominion of attempting to generate headlines and ignoring the shortcomings in the case. “(It is) yet another attempt to generate headlines and distract from the many shortcomings of its case. Ultimately, this case is about the First Amendment protections of the media’s absolute right to cover the news,” Fox News said.
“(It) does not shield broadcasters that knowingly or recklessly spread lies,” Dominion, in reply, said.
Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems have appeared in court in Delaware for a defamation suit.
Dominion sued the media giant for $1.6bn after Fox News allegedly broadcast false information about the voting machine company following the 2020 US Presidential election.
Dominion claims that Fox News, despite being aware that the allegations were false, continued to air them in order to win favour with its mostly conservative audience.
The case is seen as a litmus test for how successful legal efforts will be in stopping the spread of disinformation in the media.
Read all the Latest News here