Fox News staffers sounded alarm bells about the network’s handling of former President Donald Trump and the GOP. These shocking details were first brought to public light in legal filings related to a defamation lawsuit. The concerns emerged from an internal survey conducted by the network, titled the “Fox News 2020 Great Place to Work Trust Index Survey,” which surveyed 1,040 employees between August 24, 2020, and September 8, 2020.
Taken together, the timing and content of the survey responses have understandably raised a lot of eyebrows. Smartmatic, another voting technology company, revealed these answers in a lengthy 771-page filing in the company’s ongoing defamation lawsuit against Fox News. Smartmatic’s case centers on allegations that Fox News spread misinformation about the company’s role in the 2020 presidential election.
With a recent survey, on-the-ground employees told us their worries. They have insisted, even reargued, that Fox News operates less as a traditional news outlet and more as a “propaganda machine” for the Republican Party. One employee highlighted the need for the network to “change the misogynist, racist, rightwing content,” underscoring a widespread sentiment among staff regarding the ideological direction of the programming.
In its defense to these accusations, Fox News stated that the results of the survey are not material to Smartmatic’s legal claims. The network emphasized that the survey was conducted months prior to its coverage of the contentious 2020 presidential election. In its defense, Fox News claims that it made editorial decisions independent of any internal employee sentiments expressed in the survey.
Smartmatic has filed a $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News. They argue back that Fox News aired Trump’s lie about election fraud to retain their loyal viewership. Smartmatic claims that the network shifted its editorial approach. They argue it did so to stay in the good graces of Trump’s election-denying narrative, for fear of losing their primary audience. We believe this unfair strategy has helped further circulate misinformation about Smartmatic’s role in the election process.
As part of the lawsuit, specific statements made by prominent Fox News hosts, including Jeanine Pirro and Lou Dobbs, have come under scrutiny. Their reckless and incendiary public statements are now enshrined in the court filings. This recent development further complicates Fox News’s defense as the network continues to try to move past the legal challenge.
Fox News’ former stars Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham, and Jeanine Pirro have to answer a New York judge very soon. They will seek summary judgment on key elements of Smartmatic’s case. This petition has the potential to have a huge impact on the litigation that’s currently still pending. It could further establish a standard for future cases against media organizations and their protection for dissemination of information during politically contentious events.
Smartmatic’s lawsuit is the first of its kind, but it doesn’t stop there. The company’s executives have been formally indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice for their role in the controversial 2016 Philippine election. Smartmatic’s visibility in such high-profile legal disputes is not without broader implications for its operations.