MSNBC’s Ari Melber said that the ruling against Alex Jones in the Sandy Hook defamation case is a warning shot to Fox News and right-wing media.
Video of Ari Melber:
Ari Melber says Alex Jones defamation suit loss is a warning shot to Fox News, "It is a warning shot, for example, the right-wing news outlets like Newsmax and Fox News for defaming and lying about people or our voting systems." pic.twitter.com/vqpUZJ18Q3
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) October 1, 2021
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Melber said on his MSNBC show The Beat, “That action now and this ruling now is a reminder to other people out there who might want to do similar things or already have, it is a warning shot, for example, the right-wing news outlets like Newsmax and Fox News for defaming and lying about people or our voting systems fanning the flames of conspiracy that have led many to lean into violence in the insurrection. Free speech protects many, many things. It does protect objectionable ideas. It does not protect malicious defamation or acts which directly incite violence.”
The Sandy Hook lawsuit combined with the potential for Fox News to lose $2.7 billion in the Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit could do what the government has failed to do since the end of the Fairness Doctrine.
Right-wing media could finally be held accountable for its dangerous lies, defamation, and incitement.
The decision against Alex Jones could be a turning point where right-wing media finally has to pay for their destruction.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
