Fox's Kurtz says he's disallowed from covering Dominion case

Friday, February 24, 2023, Vol. 47, No. 9

NEW YORK (AP) — Fox News media reporter Howard Kurtz says he's been barred by his company from covering Dominion Voting System's $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox and he "strongly disagrees" with the decision.

Kurtz made the announcement on his Sunday "Media Buzz" program, saying he was responding to people who wondered why he wasn't covering the case.

"It's absolutely a fair question," Kurtz said. "I believe I should be covering it. It's a major media story, given my role here at Fox, but the company has decided that as part of the organization being sued, I can't talk about it or write about."

He said he disagreed with the decision, "but as an employee, I have to abide by it."

With the cancellation of CNN's "Reliable Sources" last year, Kurtz's "Media Buzz" is the only remaining cable news program devoted to journalism. Kurtz is a former reporter at The Washington Post and CNN.

Dominion accuses Fox of airing untrue allegations about it in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential elections, even though many of the news organization's employees knew they weren't accurate.

Fox says its obligation was to cover newsworthy remarks being made by then-President Donald Trump and his associates.