On with Kara Swisher

Fox News, Dominion — oh, and Donald Trump

Dec 15, 2022

Jeremy Peters, a New York Times reporter covering the landmark Dominion Voting Systems defamation case against Fox News, delves into the potential consequences of media misinformation. He discusses Rupert Murdoch's surprising defense strategy and the implications of the ongoing lawsuit for First Amendment rights. The conversation also touches on the unraveling Murdoch-Trump relationship and the future of Fox News as new political figures, like Ron DeSantis, emerge. A fascinating look at the intersection of media accountability and politics!

50:46

Episode guests

Jeremy W. Peters

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

2min

Navigating Misinformation and Communication Challenges

6min

Exploring Political Transformations and Electric Luxury

2min

The Dominion Lawsuit and Media Accountability

17min

The Interplay of Media and Politics: Fox News, Trump, and Dominion

5min

Murdoch, Trump, and the Future of Fox News

17min

Media Accountability and the Perils of Influence

3min

What’s one way to stop misinformation? It might just be a giant defamation lawsuit. This week, media titan Rupert Murdoch was deposed in a $1.6 billion suit brought by Dominion Voting Systems against Fox News and Fox Corporation. They allege Fox knowingly and maliciously aired baseless claims accusing Dominion of an election fraud conspiracy. Somewhat surprisingly, instead of settling out of court, Fox News is denying the allegations, and the case is scheduled to go to trial in April. To unpack the lawsuit and the revelations it has brought (and will continue to bring) to light, we turned to New York Times reporter Jeremy Peters, who says this could be “one of the most consequential First Amendment cases in a generation.”

He breaks down the case, the souring Murdoch-Trump alliance and Fox News’s future. Plus, we review Ron DeSantis’s chances in 2024 (outlook: not good) and Ben Shapiro and Elon Musk’s chances of one day besting Murdoch (outlook: somewhat better).

You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema.

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