Fox News host Howard Kurtz said on Sunday that the network will not allow him to cover the defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems against Fox.
Kurtz said on his “MediaBuzz” show on Sunday that the company is not allowing him to cover the case, despite his belief that he should cover it since it is a “major media story.” He said that for now, he cannot talk about the case, but will let his audience know if that policy changes.
“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,” Kurtz said. “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,” Kurtz said. “I strongly disagree with that decision. But as an employee, I have to abide by it.”
Dominion Voting Systems is suing Fox for defamation and is seeking $1.6 billion in damages over its coverage during the 2020 election. Dominion Voting Systems alleged that Fox knowingly broadcasted false information about its software due to competitive and political pressure.
Fox has maintained that the network covered Trump’s election fraud claims just like any other network would, and accused Dominion Voting Systems of “cherry-picking” quotes out of context.
A recent filing by Dominion Voting Systems that included text messages, emails and testimonies showed Fox’s top leaders were skeptical of former President Trump’s claims of fraud in the 2020 election. The filing also showed that there were concerns about how fact checking false claims may have been received by the network’s conservative audience.