Fox News Host Prohibited From Covering Ongoing Defamation Lawsuit

Howard Kurtz, host of MediaBuzz on Fox News (Right Bias), stated on his show Sunday that the network has prohibited him from covering the ongoing defamation lawsuit against Fox News. 

For Context: Dominion Voting Systems is currently suing Fox News, alleging the network defamed the company by spreading unproven claims of electoral fraud following the 2020 election. Fox News denies the allegations, citing “fundamental rights afforded by the Constitution and protected by New York Times v. Sullivan.” Earlier this month, a court filing revealed text messages where prominent Fox News hosts expressed doubts on the legitimacy of claims spread on their shows. 

Key Quote: During his show Sunday, Kurtz stated, “some of you have been asking why I’m not covering the Dominion voting machines case against Fox involving the unproven claims of election fraud in 2020. It’s absolutely a fair question. I believe I should be covering it, it’s a major media story, given my role here at Fox. The company has decided that as part of the organization being sued, I can’t talk about it or write about it, at least for now. I strongly disagree with that decision. But as an employee, I have to abide by it.”

How The Media Covered It: Kurtz’s statement was moderately covered in left- and center-rated outlets. Few right-rated outlets covered it, following a trend AllSides reported on last week of right-rated media mostly ignoring the ongoing lawsuit and the court filing revelations.