Defamation

• 31, 2022, a Delaware Superior Court judge ruled that the $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit Dominion Voting brought against Fox News and Fox Corp. will go to trial in April.
• Hagens Berman is investigating claims on behalf of shareholders and investors based on Fox’s admittedly knowing false news reporting, including that by Fox News’ highest-rated prime time host (Tucker Carlson), while recklessly exposing Fox Corporation to substantial liability for defamation of Dominion Voting Systems.
• 18, 2023), Dominion announced that Fox agreed to pay $787 million to settle Dominion’s claims against it.
• “We are focused on whether Fox knowingly published false news and the impact on its business and reputation,” said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation.

• He is the founder and principal owner of Ben Crump Law to give a voice to the voiceless and secure justice for marginalized people.
• A shared interest in righting inequality drew Crump to the work of Mission Plasticos.
• Kilgore cites her mother's experience as a longtime health care provider as one of the motivations for her joining the Mission Plasticos board.
• Mission Plasticos Board Chair Anne Andrews, JD is highly enthusiastic with the incoming board members.

• Anti-LGBTQ+ hate from religious conservatives and far-right extremists in the United States, and now in Australia, is a worrying trend.
• Out gay politician Alex Greenwich has brought a defamation suit against Latham over an offensive homophobic tweet.
• Yet the issues remain a concern in any jurisdiction where US news media has audiences and digital platforms operate.

Commercialising hate and emboldening extremists

• Notions of “sexual purity”, linked to nationhood by religious groups and far-right extremists, are circulated via the “manosphere”: an overlapping group of websites, online forums and blogs that promote masculinity and misogyny.
• The Center for Countering Digital Hate estimates that anti-LGBTQ+ extremists are picking up followers at quadruple the rate since Elon Musk acquired Twitter.
• The monetising of hate through YouTube includes the sale of mundane items such as sweatshirts and mugs adorned with homophobic slurs.
• TikTok is the only platform to have improved on the timely removal of hate speech.

Political permissiveness and the ‘Trump effect’

• It can also undermine confidence in democratic elections and propagate climate denialism, feeding the misinformation and disinformation ecosystem.
• This has occurred within a broader context of misinformation driven by domestic politicians and permissiveness by digital platforms towards hateful conduct.
• Read more:
  Clickbait extremism, mass shootings, and the assault on democracy – time for a rethink of social media?

Visibility as a double-edged sword

• In Australia, an estimated 11% of the population have a diverse sexual orientation or gender identity.
• In the US, 7.1% of the adult population identify as one of these non-heterosexual identities, double the percentage from 2012.
• This visibility has become a double-edged sword.
• Communities have gained recognition through identity politics, but their visibility makes them a potential target for violence.

Addressing the hate feedback loop

• What needs to be done to address the hate feedback loop?
• Digital platforms also need to address online hate in a timely manner and their responses need to be coordinated across platforms.
• The origins of the anti-LGBTQ+ hate feedback loop are complex.
• Not addressing them will leave a growing number of people susceptible to violence, which diminishes us all.

• Our investigations concern whether these companies have violated the federal securities laws and/or engaged in other unlawful business practices.
• In November and December of 2020, Fox News broadcasted reports stating that the U.S. election was rigged.
• Fox News specifically called out Smartmatic and Dominion Voting Systems, voting technology and software companies, for their alleged involvement in rigging the election.
• Both companies have sued Fox for defamation and other claims based on defendants' actions.