Words like “bombshell” and “explosive” often are used pretty generously when it comes to describing lawsuits. Often, they aren’t as explosive or as newsworthy as those definitions suggest.
But in this case, explosive does feel like an accurate description. And, yes, this does feel like a bombshell.
A Fox News producer who has worked with network on-air personalities such as Tucker Carlson and Maria Bartiromo has filed lawsuits against Fox News. Her claim: Fox lawyers coerced her into giving testimony meant to be misleading in Dominion Voting Systems’ $1.6 billion lawsuit against Fox News over the 2020 presidential election.
If true, this is another truly stunning chapter in Fox News’ role in Donald Trump’s claims that the 2020 election was rigged — claims that helped lead to the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection.
Abby Grossberg filed lawsuits in New York and Delaware this week. The Delaware suit said, “Fox News Attorneys acted as agents and at the behest of Fox News to misleadingly coach, manipulate, and coerce Ms. Grossberg to deliver shaded and/or incomplete answers during her sworn deposition testimony, which answers were clearly to her reputational detriment but greatly benefitted Fox News.”
Grossberg had been a booking producer on Bartiromo’s Sunday morning Fox News show and then moved on to be the head of booking for Carlson’s prime-time show.
When giving her deposition in the Dominion suit, Grossberg was asked whether claims made on Bartiromo’s show were true or false. Grossberg said, “No. Because we didn’t know if they were true or false at that time.” She also said “no” when asked if she felt it was important to correct a false claim on air.
In her suit, Grossberg said she would have answered differently had she not been “coached by and intimidated by” Fox’s attorneys.
Grossberg’s complaint said her “false/misleading and evasive answers” which were encouraged by Fox lawyers put her at risk of committing perjury, while “subtly shifting all responsibility for the alleged defamation against Dominion onto her shoulders, and by implication, those of her trusted female colleague, Ms. Bartiromo, rather than the mostly male higher ups at Fox News.”
As The Washington Post’s Sarah Ellison and Jeremy Barr wrote, “Grossberg’s suit could create an opening for Dominion Voting Systems — which is also suing Fox, for airing unfounded claims that it rigged the 2020 election — to question the credibility of her testimony and that of other Fox employees deposed in the matter.”
Grossberg’s complaints also included details about a “misogynistic environment that permeates Fox News and fosters a toxic workplace where truth remains a fugitive while female workers are verbally violated on almost a daily basis by a poisonous and entrenched patriarchy.”
One of the complaints said, “Ms. Grossberg was isolated, overworked, undervalued, denied opportunities for promotion, and generally treated significantly worse than her male counterparts, even when those men were less qualified than her.”
In an interview with The New York Times, Grossberg said, “That’s what the culture is there. They don’t respect or value women.”
In a statement, Fox News said, “Fox News Media engaged an independent outside counsel to immediately investigate the concerns raised by Ms. Grossberg, which were made following a critical performance review. Her allegations in connection with the Dominion case are baseless and we will vigorously defend Fox against all of her claims.”
About the assertion that Grossberg’s complaints came only after she received a critical performance review, Grossberg’s attorney, Gerry Filippatos, told CNN’s Oliver Darcy, “It’s another example of Fox News not only shying away from the truth, but attempting to bury the truth.”
Then Grossberg added, “Fox just does not care. It summarizes everything perfectly. They don’t care about their employees … and they don’t care about their viewers.”
Another Grossberg claim in the lawsuits was that Fox News executives referred to Bartiromo as a “crazy b—-” and “menopausal” and a “diva.”
Grossberg’s complaint also claimed the culture on Carlson’s show included staff using jokes about Jewish people and vulgar terms for women.
Grossberg told CNN that she wants to “expose the lies and deceit” she saw while working at Fox News, adding, “I’ve covered many stories while I have been there. Dominion is just a small portion. And I’ve witnessed it from the very beginning until my last day of work last week. It’s constant. Ratings are very important to the shows, to the network, and to the hosts. It’s a business and that’s what drives coverage.”
Just before Grossberg filed her complaints on Monday, Fox News filed a complaint against Grossberg in an attempt to stop her from divulging privileged communications with Fox attorneys. But Fox dropped that complaint on Tuesday.
For more of the details in Grossberg’s complaints, check out this story from The New York Times’ Nicholas Confessore and Katie Robertson and this one from Oliver Darcy at CNN.
And Mediaite’s Michael Luciano had “The 7 Most Explosive Allegations Against Fox News By an Ex-Tucker Producer Suing the Network.”
Stunning news at ESPN
It’s been an unsettling week at ESPN. First, word came out earlier this week that significant layoffs are expected in the next four to six weeks, and that almost anyone at the network could be laid off.
Then came Tuesday’s stunning news — the departure of a veteran senior leader and one of the more respected names in journalism.
According to a report from New York Post sports media columnist Andrew Marchand, ESPN fired one of its top executives, Rob King, for allegations of harassment. Marchand wrote, “The harassment allegations were due to social media posts, which were brought to the attention of ESPN’s Human Resources, according to sources.”
However, King said he is resigning from ESPN. As the Post story was being published online, King tweeted, “After nearly 20 years with ESPN, I have decided the time is right for me to leave the company. I’m looking forward to spending more time with my family and friends, and wish the company continued success.”
Aside from his work at ESPN, King is a member of the Poynter Institute’s Board of Trustees. He also is a member of the Associated Press’ Board of Directors.
King was ESPN’s executive editor at large, special projects. ESPN described King as “responsible for the company’s overall journalistic direction, working closely with leaders across ESPN Films and original content, digital content, social media, multi-platform journalism and storytelling and global content, and advises ESPN and its senior leadership team on editorial issues.”
Before that, King had held many top jobs at ESPN, including senior vice president of original content, senior vice president of “SportsCenter” and news, and vice president and editor-in-chief of ESPN.com.
ESPN declined to comment. Reached by Poynter, King said he would let his social media post stand for now.
Marchand reported Tuesday’s news about King is unrelated to the upcoming layoffs.
Several ESPN personalities reacted on Twitter, including Sarah Spain, who tweeted, “Wouldn’t be who I am or where I am without @ESPN_RobKing. One of my biggest mentors, best sounding boards & truest allies. I always felt supported, heard & safe b/c of Rob. And he’s the mystery exec who spotted me on Twitter & gave me my biggest break. Forever grateful, Rob.”
A disturbing story
Wow, some seriously disturbing questions raised in this piece by NPR media reporter David Folkenflik: “The FBI raided a notable journalist’s home. Rolling Stone didn’t tell readers why.” (Warning: this story contains a graphic description of child abuse.)
A good start
Jen Psaki, on the set of her MSNBC TV show. (Courtesy: MSNBC)
Jen Psaki’s new show on MSNBC is off to a good start. “Inside with Jen Psaki” drew over a million viewers (1.094, to be exact), which certainly must thrill MSNBC executives. Psaki’s show, which airs at noon Eastern time, doubled MSNBC’s 11 a.m. Eastern audience. “Fox News Live” bested Psaki’s show, but not by much. It drew 1.10 million viewers.
In the key 25-54 age demographic, Psaki, the former Joe Biden White House press secretary, had 137,000 viewers, beating out Fox News (123,000) and CNN (120,000).
As I mentioned in Monday’s newsletter, Psaki isn’t reinventing the wheel here, but there were some new wrinkles that separated it from the typical Sunday morning news fare. For example, most notable was a segment called “Weekend Routine,” where Psaki will hang out with a guest away from an office setting. In Sunday’s debut, Psaki hung out with New York City Mayor Eric Adams on the subway and in his kitchen.
What’s next with Trump?
We sit and wait to see what’s next with Donald Trump. Will he be indicted and arrested? If so, how might that go down?
For details, here’s a good explainer from The New York Times’ William K. Rashbaum and Jonah E. Bromwich.
And here’s an interesting analysis from The Washington Post’s Aaron Blake: “The arguments for and against indicting Trump.”
Finally, here’s quite the story from The New York Times’ Michael C. Bender and Maggie Haberman: “Trump at Mar-a-Lago: Magical Thinking and a Perp-Walk Fixation.” They wrote, “Behind closed doors at Mar-a-Lago, the former president has told friends and associates that he welcomes the idea of being paraded by the authorities before a throng of reporters and news cameras. He has even mused openly about whether he should smile for the assembled media, and he has pondered how the public would react and is said to have described the potential spectacle as a fun experience. No one is quite sure whether his remarks are bravado or genuine resignation about what lies ahead.”
A superb lead
I was listening to Tony Kornheiser’s podcast when he mentioned this terrific lead from The Washington Post’s fabulous sportswriter Chuck Culpepper. Last week, Culpepper was covering the NCAA men’s basketball tournament and No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson’s massive upset of No. 1 seed Purdue, which joined the 2017-18 University of Virginia team as the only No. 1 seeds to lose to a No. 16 seed in tournament history.
And that led to this outstanding lead from Culpepper:
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The door to the quirky dungeon in which a Virginia team sat alone for five years suddenly, inexplicably creaked open Friday night, and a shaft of light streamed in, and in that light there appeared the best sight ever known to misery.
Company!
Alongside Virginia in all future references and winces will mope Purdue, the emphatic Big Ten regular season and tournament champion that lost, 63-58, to anonymous FDU in front of a sold-out and flipped-out crowd, becoming the second of the 152 No. 1 seeds to lose to a No. 16 seed since this seeding construct in this delirious annual event began in 1985.
Isn’t that just great?
Media tidbits
- The New York Post’s Ryan Glasspiegel with “ESPN star Michael Wilbon opens up about working through challenges of recent surgery.”
- The Star Tribune opinion team hired Minnesota native and four-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Mike Thompson as a staff editorial cartoonist. (Great to see a newspaper making a commitment to editorial cartooning.) Thompson worked at the Detroit Free Press for 21 years before going to USA Today in 2019. Here’s the announcement from Star Tribune editorial page editor Scott Gillespie, and the piece includes a fun cartoon from Thompson.
- Here’s an interesting new podcast from public radio station KCRW in Southern California. It’s called “City of Tents: Veterans Row.” Hosted by reporter Anna Scott, the podcast, according to KCRW, “takes listeners back to the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic when a large homeless encampment, decorated with American flags, sprang up beside the Veteran Affairs campus by one of Los Angeles’ wealthiest neighborhoods, Brentwood.” It added, “City of Tents: Veterans Row follows the lifespan of this encampment, nicknamed Veterans Row, which gained national attention after two murders and a visit from the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough.”
- The New Republic’s Alex Shephard with “What Is Elon Musk Building?”
- Mediaite’s Candice Ortiz with “Stephen A. Smith Holds Nothing Back in Exclusive With Mediaite: From CNN and Fox News Controversies to Why He’d Make a Great President.”
Hot type
- A great read from The New York Times’ Scott Cacciola: “Yes, They Are Tall. No, They Do Not Play Basketball.”
- Uproxx’s Steven Hyden with quite the list: “The Best Debut Albums Ever, Ranked.”
More resources for journalists
- Subscribe to Poynter’s Friday newsletter, Open Tabs with Poynter managing editor Ren LaForme, and get behind-the-scenes stories only available to subscribers.
- Hiring? Post jobs on The Media Job Board — Powered by Poynter, Editor & Publisher and America’s Newspapers.
- Lead With Influence (July 2023) (Seminar) — Apply by June 2.
- Telling the Stories of Faith and the Faithful — New York, May 12 (Seminar) — Register by April 12.
Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at tjones@poynter.org.
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