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Lawsuit accuses Fox News of illegal firing of reporter who spoke out over misinformation

By Nithya Bose in US business news, posted November 15, 2023

Fox News is embroiled in another legal battle, this time facing a wrongful termination suit from former reporter and producer Jason Donner.

Donner claims he was fired in retaliation for questioning misinformation in Fox News' reporting.

It was related to former President Trump's unfounded claims of election fraud and the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

The suit alleges Fox News sought to silence dissent within its news division and purge staff unwilling to align with directives catering to Trump supporters.

Donner, who was employed by the conservative news network for 12 years, was fired in 2022, shortly after expressing concerns about the network's reporting accuracy.

The suit says he fell out of favor after challenging the integrity of Fox News' coverage on multiple occasions.

Donner, present at the Capitol during the January 6 riot, criticized Fox News for characterizing the protest as "peaceful."

During the violent attack, he and other reporters had to hide.

The suit also highlights Donner's prior reprimand for a tweet about Rudolf Giuliani's news conference, where Giuliani propagated false allegations of voter fraud.

Fox News has not responded to requests for comment on the lawsuit.

Fox's legal headaches

The legal action follows a series of controversies and defamation suits against the network, including a settlement of $787.5 million with Dominion Voting Systems.

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In October 2021, Donner complained about Tucker Carlson's false statements on January 6.

However, according to the suit, company insiders could not control Carlson, who was eventually pulled off the air in April 2022.

The Dominion lawsuit accused Fox News of damaging the company's reputation by spreading falsehoods about voter fraud.

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Smartmatic, a voting machine company, has a similar $2.7 billion defamation suit against the network.

Additionally, former Fox News producer Abby Grossberg received a $12 million settlement.

She claimed the network coerced her into making false statements during the legal battle with Dominion.

The network is also facing a defamation lawsuit from Ray Epps, a protester falsely identified by the channel as an FBI informant during the January 6 riots.

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