When you decide to deny the results of the 2020 election and support various other conspiracy theories, you are placing your business on weak legal grounds. Of course, it's big business trying to attract people who simply can't accept reality, but that leads to all kinds of problems.
Fox News famously supported conspiracy theories suggesting Dominion Voting's voting machines were compromised, leading to Joe Biden defeating Donald Trump. That was a much-repeated line of thinking on the right-wing news network, and eventually Fox News accepted that it was making false statements and agreed to pay Dominion $787 million.
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That was about half of the $1.6 billion the voting machine company had demanded, but it was a big victory since Fox News had to admit it was promoting lies.
“Fox has admitted to telling lies about Dominion that caused enormous harm to my company, our employees and the customers we serve. Nothing will make up for that. Throughout this process, we have sought accountability,” the CEO said of Dominion, John Poulos. . “True information in the media is essential for our democracy.”
Dominion's ruling was followed by former Trump campaign lawyer Rudy Giuliani filing for bankruptcy after he was found to have defamed two Georgia election workers.
Basically, the courts have determined that it is wrong to push conspiracy theories that defame real people and companies. This has led another popular right-wing media site to file for bankruptcy.
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Right-wing media site files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Gateway Pundit has been a popular right-wing media site pushing a pro-Trump agenda while questioning the Covid vaccine and Biden's overall competence.
“The site was created for readers tired of limited options and politicized establishment media,” Gateway Pundit shares in its About Us section. “In 2011, the website moved to its current location as www.thegatewaypundit.com. TGP's audience grew rapidly and added additional writers to the staff. Today, more than 2.5 million unique readers visit TGP every year. days. Gateway Pundit is ranked as one of the Top 100 websites in the United States, according to SEMrush rankings.”
TGP has a section called “The American Gulag,” where it shows visitors “how to help prisoners from the January 6 protest.”
“Nearly 1,000 people have been arrested in connection with the events of January 6, 2021. This website provides up-to-date information on each of them, including relevant news articles, a map of arrests, and a list of those currently incarcerated. We also provide you with ways to contact those in prison and help cover their legal and living expenses,” the site shared.
TGP is now facing multiple lawsuits over false claims about the 2020 election. That, according to the company, has forced it to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
The bankruptcy moves showed the challenges of using defamation law to try to hold accountable those who spread misinformation, RonNell Andersen Jones, a first amendment scholar at the University of Utah, he told The Guardian newspaper.
“Bankruptcy after trial is frustrating for defamation plaintiffs because it deprives them of the opportunity to quickly and fully recover from their loss,” he added. “Bankruptcy before trial is certainly even more frustrating.”
Gateway Pundit remains defiant
Gateway Pundit founder Jim Hoft has been clear that filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy does not mean his company is retracting any of the conspiracy theories it has openly supported.
“This is not an admission of fault or guilt. This is a common tool for litigation reorganization and consolidation when attacks come from all sides. It allows TGP to consolidate this legal war in court for a final resolution,” Hoft said in a statement on Gateway Pundit.
He, of course, blames his company's financial problems on political forces seeking to silence The Gateway Pundit.
“Despite the efforts of the radical left to silence The Gateway Pundit through censorship, de-platforming, de-banking, isolating advertisers, and other financial strategies, we will not be deterred from our mission to remain courageous and to be one of the most trusted independent media outlets in America today. “We don’t expect that to change,” he added.
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