Australian news website demands Lachlan Murdoch to sue it

• A small Australian news outlet has dared Lachlan Murdoch to sue them for defamation.
• Crikey published an article linking the family name to the attack on the US Capitol.
• The article was published in June and appeared as congressional investigations into the 6 January riots.

A small Australian news outlet has dared Lachlan Murdoch to file a lawsuit against it for a story connecting the family name to the attack on the US Capitol.

Lachlan Murdoch claims the June opinion piece for Crikey, which did not expressly name him, has defamed him.

It makes “false” and “scandalous” claims that Mr. Murdoch engaged in unlawful activity, according to his attorneys.

Crikey executives, though, insist that they support the article as “public interest journalism.”

The article’s headline, which appeared as congressional investigations into the 6 January riots of last year were underway, read:  “Trump is a confirmed unhinged traitor. And Murdoch is his unindicted co-conspirator.”

Nowhere in the report was it made clear which Murdoch family member or individuals were being discussed, however Lachlan Murdoch’s Fox News, a division of Fox Corporation, is mentioned.

The article only mentions Rupert Murdoch’s name twice, and according to Crikey, which was founded in 2000 and currently employs ten full-time journalists, it is definitely about Rupert Murdoch and not his son.

Crikey’s executives claim they intend to defend the accusations in court in an open letter that was published as an advertisement in the New York Times and the Canberra Times.

Crikey’s owner, Private Media, said they are “very confident” about their position in an interview with the BBC.

“We’ve decided to stand up to Lachlan Murdoch not only because we believe our reporting is fair comment, but because we wish to stand on the side of free speech in the face of almost unlimited power and resources,” Will Hayward said.

The chief executive of Fox Corporation, Lachlan Murdoch, declined to comment through a spokesman.

However, emails from his attorneys that were released by Crikey contend that the article’s publishing was “malicious” and “manifestly indefensible.”

They claim Mr. Murdoch was named in the paper, and it implied he and Donald Trump engaged in illegal collusion to rig the 2020 presidential election and encourage a crowd to march on the Capitol with “murderous intent.”

Crikey initially consented to take the article down from its website and release an editorial statement outlining its viewpoint in response to the initial complaint.

However, it republished the article when Mr. Murdoch’s lawyers refused to accept those terms.

This is not the first time Mr. Murdoch has threatened legal action against Crikey.

After publishing bogus accusations against Mr. Murdoch last year, the website was forced to issue an apology and pay his legal fees.

Additionally, Crikey was had to apologise in September 2020 for equating Mr. Murdoch with a leader of organised crime.

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