US Media Hit with $93 Billion Damages for Spreading Election Fraud Conspiracy Theories

Fox News Also Faces Billion-Dollar Lawsuits
"Damage Claims Threaten Freedom of Expression," Networks Argue

A media outlet that reported conspiracy theories claiming the U.S. presidential election was rigged has once again been ordered to pay a large sum in damages. On August 19, Yonhap News, citing a report from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), reported that Newsmax, a conservative U.S. cable news channel, has agreed to pay $67 million (approximately 93 billion KRW) in defamation damages to Dominion Voting Systems, an electronic voting machine manufacturer.

A media outlet that reported conspiracy theories claiming the U.S. presidential election was rigged has been ordered to pay a large sum in damages. Photo by Reuters/Yonhap News

Newsmax reported that the 2020 presidential election, which ended with the victory of Democratic candidate Joe Biden over Republican candidate Donald Trump, was fraudulent. The coverage included allegations that Dominion was connected to a Venezuelan company and manipulated vote counts using electronic voting software. In 2021, Dominion filed a lawsuit seeking $1.6 billion (about 2.22 trillion KRW) in damages, claiming that Newsmax intentionally spread false information that damaged its reputation not only on social media but also on television broadcasts on 18 separate occasions.

According to The New York Times (NYT), this settlement was reached before a verdict was delivered in the defamation lawsuit. In April of this year, a Delaware trial court decided to proceed with the trial, stating that Dominion had clearly and convincingly demonstrated that Newsmax's reporting was both false and defamatory. The jury was set to discuss whether Newsmax knowingly reported the false election fraud conspiracy theories and to determine the amount of damages.

However, despite agreeing to pay damages, Newsmax has not issued an apology for its false reporting. The network argued in a statement that its coverage was "fair and balanced within the professional standards of journalism." A spokesperson for Newsmax stated that the settlement does not include any obligation to apologize or delete articles.

'Trump Fuels Election Fraud Conspiracies'

This is not the first time that a large damages award has been made in the U.S. over reporting on election fraud conspiracy theories. Fox News, a leading conservative media outlet, agreed in April 2023 to pay $787.5 million (about 1.09 trillion KRW) in damages after reporting on Dominion's claims of election rigging in the 2020 presidential race. Fox News also faces another defamation lawsuit from Smartmatic, a different electronic voting technology company, seeking $2.7 billion (about 3.75 trillion KRW) in damages.

Among them, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he would abolish the mail-in voting system, which conspiracy theorists have identified as the root cause of election fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Photo by EPA and Yonhap News

If the parties fail to reach a settlement in this trial, proceedings will begin at the Manhattan court. Fox News has argued that Smartmatic's damages claim infringes on the freedom of expression guaranteed by the First Amendment. Newsmax also reported on Smartmatic's alleged involvement in election fraud and, in September last year, paid $40 million (about 55.55 billion KRW) in damages.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has announced plans to abolish the mail-in voting system, which conspiracy theorists have identified as the root cause of alleged election fraud in the 2020 presidential election. On August 18 (local time), President Trump wrote on Truth Social, "I will lead the movement to abolish mail-in voting," adding, "We will strongly push this issue because the Democrats have committed fraud at an unprecedented level." He continued, "I will sign an executive order to bring integrity to the 2026 midterm elections."

Furthermore, President Trump stated, "The Democrats can hardly win without this completely unproven mail-in voting fraud because of their terrible far-left policies, such as open borders, allowing men to compete in women's sports, and woke (a critical term for imposing progressive values) for transgender people and everyone." He emphasized, "The Republican Party and I will risk everything to restore honesty and justice to our elections."