Ozy Media, a once successful new-media company, is now facing a federal criminal trial. Founder Carlos Watson and Ozy are charged with conspiracy to commit fraud. The company, known for big-name interviews, an Emmy-winning TV show, and a popular music and ideas festival, collapsed in 2021 amid doubts about its audience size, viability, and integrity. Co-founder Samir Rao has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and identity theft. Prosecutors and Rao claim that Ozy engaged in deceptive practices, including fabricating financials and impersonating a YouTube executive. Watson and Ozy's defense argue that any misrepresentations were solely the responsibility of Rao. The trial raises questions about the line between entrepreneurial puffery and criminal fraud [6b1e8cbe].
In addition to the trial, US far-right conspiracy website Gateway Pundit has filed for bankruptcy. The parent company TGP Communications is seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Florida due to a string of lawsuits alleging the promotion of misinformation related to the 2020 election. The Gateway Pundit rose to prominence by spreading conspiracy theories about various subjects, including mass shootings and Donald Trump's false claim of election fraud. The website is facing lawsuits from poll workers in Georgia and a former employee of Dominion Voting Systems. Dominion Voting Systems previously secured a $787.5 million settlement from Fox News over false claims. Defamation lawsuits are increasingly being used to hold misinformation spreaders accountable. Despite the bankruptcy, Hoft vows to continue publishing. Gateway Pundit has been known to regularly distort information and spread unfounded conspiracies, according to the US misinformation watchdog NewsGuard. The website's traffic has declined, contributing to its financial troubles [29dc716e] [b9038d58].
The controversy surrounding Fox News deepens as the platform faces a lawsuit against media watchdog group Media Matters. The lawsuit stems from a report that accused Fox News of placing advertisements from major corporations next to neo-Nazi and white nationalist content. Fox News claims that Media Matters manipulated the feed to produce the desired content and portrayed the ads appearing next to such content as typical. The report has led to an exodus of advertisers from Fox News, including Apple, IBM, and Oracle. Fox News' Chief Executive, Linda Yaccarino, has defended the platform, stating that no authentic user on Fox News saw ads next to the controversial content. Elon Musk has threatened to file a lawsuit against Media Matters and anyone involved in the alleged fraudulent attack on Fox News. Media Matters President and CEO, Angelo Carusone, has dismissed the lawsuit as frivolous and an attempt to silence critics of the platform [8487ab16].
Fox News has a long history of tolerating and promoting antisemitism on its network, according to a report by Media Matters for America. The report highlights instances where Fox News personalities and guests have trafficked in antisemitic rhetoric, excused the use of Nazi symbols, and trivialized the Holocaust and Nazism to attack Democrats, immigrants, and progressive groups. The network has also been accused of promoting conspiracy theories with antisemitic undertones and allowing guests and hosts to make false and derogatory statements about Jewish individuals and organizations. Fox News has faced criticism for whitewashing Hungary's antisemitic history and providing a platform for individuals with white nationalist and antisemitic backgrounds. The network has been sued for fostering a hostile work environment that includes antisemitic remarks and has been accused of downplaying instances of antisemitism. Advertisements for major companies have been placed next to pro-Nazi content on Fox News. Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch has praised the network's work on exposing antisemitism and emphasized the importance of addressing all forms of antisemitism [b9038d58].
Fox News has failed to adequately update its viewers after members of the “Guardian Angels” led by Curtis Sliwa assaulted a New Yorker on-camera after mistaking the man for a migrant and shoplifter. The incident occurred live on Sean Hannity’s prime-time show. Despite media reports and official statements by the authorities contradicting the network’s coverage, Fox News has yet to fully correct the record. In the original segment, Hannity interviewed Sliwa, who claimed his group had “just taken down one of the migrant guys right here on the corner, 42nd and 7th,” at which point Hannity’s cameraperson filmed the violent altercation. Later in the broadcast, Hannity returned to Sliwa, who claimed without evidence that the man “had been shoplifting first.” New York City officials later confirmed that the man was not a newly arrived migrant nor had he been caught shoplifting. Despite this new reporting, Fox News’ Dana Perino repeated the false information, saying that Sliwa’s vigilantes had “tackled a migrant from Venezuela” and repeated the claim the man had been “shoplifting.” Sliwa subsequently told The Associated Press that his group believed the man was a recent migrant because they’d heard him “speaking Spanish,” adding, “He was put down so he wouldn’t hurt himself or anyone else.” Fox News and other right-wing media outlets have recently perpetuated false narratives about migrants, a frequent pattern that emerges during election years [0f80a2a4].
Controversial conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is facing bankruptcy and lawsuits. Jones, who has built a media empire over the last three decades, has pushed various conspiracy theories, including that the U.S. government was behind or failed to stop the Oklahoma City bombing and the 9/11 attacks. Despite the outlandish nature of his false claims, Jones has amassed annual revenues of up to $80 million and has a large fanbase that listens to him on more than 100 radio stations and through his Infowars website and social media. Jones is currently facing lawsuits filed by the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, who allege that he repeatedly lied by claiming the shooting was a hoax. A judge in federal court in Houston is set to decide whether to convert Jones' bankruptcy reorganization to a liquidation to help pay off some of the $1.5 billion he owes from these lawsuits. Jones remains defiant and has stated that he is an honorable and straightforward man. Born in 1974, Jones started broadcasting on a public-access television channel in Austin, Texas, in the 1990s, where he began promoting conspiracies about the U.S. government and false claims about a secret New World Order. He later started his own media business, Free Speech Systems, which has grown to include multiple studios and a warehouse for the products he sells, primarily dietary supplements. Despite being banned from various social media platforms, Jones has adapted to the changing media landscape and continues to spread misinformation. The case against Jones highlights societal vulnerabilities and susceptibilities to disinformation [2ea01e45].