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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Comment
Matt Collins

Lachlan Murdoch’s decision to drop the Crikey defamation suit atones for the misjudgment of suing in the first place

Lachlan Murdoch Dominion Fox Crikey Donald Trump Bernard Keane Fox News Rupert United States
Lachlan Murdoch’s lawyer said that he was confident of victory but did not wish ‘to further enable Crikey’s use of the court to litigate a case … and facilitate a marketing campaign designed to attract subscribers and boost their profits’.
Lachlan Murdoch’s lawyer said that he was confident of victory but did not wish ‘to further enable Crikey’s use of the court to litigate a case … and facilitate a marketing campaign designed to attract subscribers and boost their profits’. Photograph: Getty Images

Lachlan Murdoch’s federal court defamation action against Private Media Pty Ltd, publisher of Crikey, was never likely to end well. His decision on Friday morning to discontinue the proceedings was, nonetheless, stunning.

Murdoch is the CEO and executive chairman of Fox Corporation, which operates the Fox News channel. He sued over a 29 June 2022 article by Crikey’s politics editor, Bernard Keane. The article concerned former US president Donald Trump’s false claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him.

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