News & Opinion

January 6 participant sues Fox for defamation

Ray Epps, a former Arizona businessman, is suing Fox News for spreading lies that he was at the January 6 insurrection as a covert FBI agent to foment the attack on Congress. Epps says he was at the Capitol that day because of Fox’s claim of fraud in the 2020 presidential election. A check of the facts shows that Epps has a strong case. (Poynter, July 18, 2023, by Jeff Cercone) Epp’s lawsuit notes that

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Social media companies retreat from fight against election lies

Forces to fight election lies on the internet are shrinking as the 2024 presidential election looms. Artificial intelligence poses a real threat, allowing users to fake videos, photos and ads. Social media companies are cutting their content moderation staff, and conservative politicians are pressuring researchers who study internet lies. The recent injunction by a Texas federal judge weakens the federal government’s efforts to get accurate voting information out and fighting false rumors about the election.

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Giuliani stumbles in election fraud defamation case

Georgia election workers suing former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani for defamation claim he failed to turn over key text messages and emails that showed him conspiring with Trump lawyers and others to develop a fake case of election fraud against them. The election workers are asking a federal district judge to find for them in the defamation case or at the least demand that Giuliani turn over his electronic devices so authorities can search

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Meteorologist threatened for for reporting climate change facts

An Iowan meteorologist reporting on climate change on local broadcasts received several threatening emails and was told to cut back on his reporting to maintain ratings. Other meteorologists around the country have also been threatened and harassed. A small number of angry listeners can make it difficult for the meteorologists to report factual information on the weather essential to viewers like farmers. (VOX, July 9, 2023, by Hannah Fingerhut, Heather Hollingsworth and Summer Ballentine of

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