Explosive new court filings have ripped the lid off the private communications of two of Fox News's most prominent hosts, revealing a stark contradiction between their public broadcasts and private counsel to the former President.
Text messages submitted as part of the billion-dollar defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems show Sean Hannity and Judge Jeanine Pirro actively encouraging Donald Trump's inner circle to continue fighting the 2020 election result, despite a lack of evidence.
'Get a Grip': The Private Panic of Prime-Time Stars
While publicly presenting a facade of balanced reporting, the behind-the-scenes communications tell a different story. The messages show hosts deeply embedded in Trump's strategy sessions, offering advice and expressing frustration with the legal team's approach.
In one particularly revealing exchange, Hannity texted White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, urging the Trump team to "get a grip" and expressing that what was happening was "embarrassing." This private panic stands in sharp contrast to the narrative presented to millions of viewers on his nightly show.
A Coordinated Effort to Influence Strategy
The documents allege a coordinated effort between the hosts. Pirro is revealed to have texted Meadows, pushing for Trump to personally lead the fight and attack specific states. Her private fervour to overturn the result was far more extreme than her on-air commentary.
These revelations are central to Dominion's lawsuit, which argues that Fox News knowingly broadcast false claims of election fraud to appease its audience, despite hosts and executives privately acknowledging the lack of merit in such allegations.
Reputational Damage and Legal Reckoning
The unsealed documents pose a significant threat to the reputation of the network and its stars. They paint a picture of commentators operating not as journalists, but as political operatives, blurring the lines between commentary and activism.
This evidence could prove devastating in the upcoming trial, potentially exposing Fox News to massive financial penalties and irrevocable damage to its credibility. The scandal underscores the intense internal and external pressures faced by media organisations in a deeply polarised political landscape.
