The week
Dominion spokesman: “Mike Lindell is asking to be sued, and at some point we could sign him.”
“In just a few weeks, lawsuits and legal threats from two obscure electoral technology companies have achieved what years of advertising boycotts, public print campaigns and liberal outrage couldn’t: stem the flow of misinformation in right-wing media,” wrote Michael Grynbaum in the New York Times. Dominion Voting Systems has sued Rudy Giuliani and Sydney Powell of defamation to seek $ 1.3 billion in damages and is suing Fox News and other conservative media outlets. Rival tech company Smartmatic sued Fox News for $ 2.7 billion. CNN’s Brian Stelter asked Dominion spokesman Michael Steel about Sunday’s lawsuits, even if new ones are pending. “I’m not here to post any news on this front, but let me say this. Mike Lindell is petitioning to be sued, and we could get him eventually,” said Steel. Lindell, the CEO of MyPillow, paid three hours of airtime on Friday on the One America News Network to air a show he produced about his conspiracy theories. OANN started with an exceptional disclaimer. Lindell tweeted Saturday night that he might sue Dominion, a threat Steel laughed at CNN. Steel, a former spokesman for House Spokespersons Paul Ryan, R-Wis. And John Boehner, R-Ohio, also said Dominion, who is suing Fox News, is “definitely a possibility.” A media law professor, Lynn Oberlander, told Stelter that the Fox News, Newsmax, OANN, and other outlets’ disclaimers that raised electoral fraud claims may actually protect them from defamation lawsuits. They are “not your typical right-wing media playbook that prides itself on fistfighting and likes to ignore the liberals who have long complained about its content,” writes Grynbaum. But whether you like it or not, “Litigation is a new frontline in the war on misinformation, a scourge that is changing American politics, depriving citizens of common facts, and paving the way for the deadly attack on the Capitol on January 6th Has.” Libel lawsuits “shouldn’t be the way to regulate the language in our country,” lawyer Roberta Kaplan told the Times. “It’s not an efficient or productive way of telling the truth or promoting journalistic quality standards through legal proceedings. But I think it has gotten to the point where the problem is currently so bad that there is practically no other way to to do that.” Fox News said in a statement it was “proud of our coverage of the 2020 election and will vigorously defend itself against Smartmatics” “unfounded lawsuit.” More stories from theweek.comRep. Adam Kinzinger tells his Republicans that the condemnation of Trump “is necessary to save America”. What is Trump’s second impeachment trial about? 5 hilarious cartoons about America’s botched vaccine rollout
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