A former Fox Broadcasting Company executive senior vice president, Preston Padden, has proof that primary owner and Chairman Rupert Murdoch made certain the company was broadcasting untrue information and propaganda during the 2020 election.
The Media and Democracy Project (MAD) has petitioned a Philadelphia court that includes a declaration from Padden, who worked at Fox from 1990 to 1997, that reveals personal communications documentation between him and with Fox chairman Murdoch who knew what Fox News was reporting was false.
Fox Corp.’s license to operate WTXF, the Philadelphia outlet, is part of the legal challenge by MAD, a group whose members include Padden.
MAD charges that Fox’s broadcast license should not be renewed because their leadership manipulated its audience by knowingly broadcasting false news about the 2020 election that contributed to the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan 6, 2021.
“Over the past nine months, I have tried, with increasing bluntness, to get Rupert to understand the real damage that Fox News is doing to America,” Padden wrote in 2021. “I failed, and it was arrogant and naïve to ever have thought that I could succeed. I am at a loss to understand why he will not change course. I can only guess that the destructive editorial policy of Fox News is driven by a deep-seated vein of anti-establishment/contrarian thinking in Rupert that, at age 90, is not going to change.”
Among the issues the FCC would consider in any review of character qualifications related to news distortion include the seriousness of the misconduct, the nature of any participation by company managers and owners in the misconduct, any efforts to remedy the wrong, and the company’s past record regarding compliance with FCC rules and policies.
MAD is also requesting that the FCC initiate an evidentiary hearing into Fox’s conduct. They claim the FCC “has the duty to hold Fox accountable and send a strong message that intentional, knowing news distortion will not be tolerated on America’s airwaves.”
Padden declared that WTXF, as well as other Fox stations air Fox News Sunday, produced by Fox News Channel, and the show repeated some of Fox News’s false narratives about the election.
“In my opinion, as a result of Fox’s knowingly false narrative, large numbers of that radicalized population ransacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, causing injury, property damage and attacking the very foundation of our democracy,” Padden said. “In my opinion, Fox contributed to that tragedy.”
Padden stated that Rupert Murdoch is responsible for what airs on Fox News and Fox stations.
“During my 7 years at Fox, ultimate decision-making authority for the operation of every part of the company — every division, every business unit, every subsidiary — rested with Rupert Murdoch,“ Padden noted. “It was his ‘candy store.’ I get the impression that more recently he has begun to share power with his son, Lachlan Murdoch. But I can state without fear of contradiction that Rupert and Lachlan retain ultimate decision-making authority for every part of the company, including Fox News Channel and Fox Television Stations.”
Padden said that in 2020 and 2021 in email exchanges with Murdoch, he expressed concerns over this fake and untrue content on Fox.
Padden also revealed that without his knowledge some or all of those emails were produced by Fox as part of discovery in the Dominion case.
Fox eventually agreed to pay $787 million to settle that lawsuit that alleged that false reporting by Fox News Channel defamed Dominion Voting Systems.
The emails reveal Murdoch knew Fox’s reporting was false, but he allowed it, Padden said.
“In my opinion, these actions on the part of Mr. Murdoch, his son and top Fox management significantly contributed to the upheaval that occurred at the U.S. Capitol building on January 6, 2021,” Padden continued.
“The Media and Democracy Project petition to deny the license renewal of WTXF-TV is frivolous, completely without merit and asks the FCC to upend the First Amendment and longstanding FCC precedent,” Fox responded in a statement. “WTXF-TV / FOX 29 News Philadelphia is one of the finest local news stations in the country, broadcasting over 60 hours of local news and locally produced programming every week.”
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“A large amount of radicalized Americans” did not attack the Capitol. It was a Deep State setup that simulated a riot, and enticed a few impassioned American Patriots to be fooled into it, much to their regret, and/or death. It was staged, and how this guy doesn’t know that or won’t admit it, along with his thinking that Murdoc is just being a stubborn old man instead of actually being part of the stolen election is a sad commentary on how much people have been deceived and brainwashed by propaganda.
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Right on!
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A agree with your assessment. Well Stated!
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100% correct! Deep state infiltrated Jan.6th to set up Trump and the American people. There are tons of video and personal accounts proving voter fraud. It is being ignored. Everything is always a conspiracy unless your name is Trump. Or your a Conservative backing Trump. It is not even being hidden anymore.
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So right on. Thanks for commenting. We appreciate your readership.
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