New Crikey defence alleges Lachlan Murdoch was ‘morally and ethically culpable’ for January 6 riots

Crikey and Private Media has updated its defence in the defamation lawsuit brought forward by Lachlan Murdoch, in which the media company alleges Murdoch is “morally and ethically culpable for the illegal January 6 Attack”.

The updated filing was submitted to the federal court yesterday, 11 April, introducing information from legal proceedings in the United States between Fox Corporation and Dominion Voting Systems,as it indicated it would last week.

The company included the following imputations in its updated defence, presented by Private Media’s lawyers, drawing from the ongoing lawsuit in the US, in which Murdoch, CEO of Fox Corporation and co-chairman of News Corp, and his father, Rupert Murdoch, have provided testimony.

It argues the following as ‘contextual truths’.

Firstly, that “Lachlan Murdoch is morally and ethically culpable for the illegal January 6 Attack because Fox News, under his control and management, promoted and peddled Trump’s lie of the stolen election despite Lachlan Murdoch knowing it was false.”

Secondly, that Murdoch’s “unethical and reprehensible conduct in allowing Fox News to promote and peddle Trump’s lie of the stolen election, despite Lachlan Murdoch knowing it was false, makes him morally and ethically culpable for the illegal January 6 Attack”.

Using these updated claims, Private Media argued its article by Bernard Keane on 30 June 2022, which Murdoch is suing for defamation over, does no further harm to his reputation.

“By reason of the substantial truth of the Contextual Imputation, those of the Applicant’s Imputations that are also carried by the matter do not further harm the reputation of the Applicant.”

Keane, and recently departed editor-in-chief of Crikey, Peter Fray, are being sued by Murdoch, as well as Private Media chairman Eric Beecher, and CEO, Will Hayward.