Crikey’s article mentions the name Murdoch twice, including once in the title and once in the final sentence, although he never specifically mentions Lachlan Murdoch. The article calls out Fox commentators for continuing to “peddle the lie of a stolen election and downplay the insurgency created by Trump.” The last line of the editorial concludes: “The Murdochs and the host of poisonous Fox News commentators are the unaccountable co-conspirators of this ongoing crisis.” In an open letter, Peter Fray, editor-in-chief of Crikey, said the “Murdoch” in the editorial title “clearly refers” to Lachlan Murdoch’s father, Rupert Murdoch, chairman of Fox Corp.. Crikey says he has corresponded with Murdoch’s lawyers , and the news site published those letters on Monday. The news site reported that Murdoch is suing the site for defamation and that Murdoch’s lawyers claim that the article contains “outrageous allegations of criminal conduct and conspiracy” and that the article is “highly defamatory and falsely imputed to him”. The lawsuit has not yet been made public, although the Commonwealth Court of Australia portal shows Murdoch filed suit against publisher Crikey Private Media on Tuesday. A lawyer representing Lachlan Murdoch did not respond to a request for comment. Crikey said in a statement that he was prepared to defend himself. “We intend to defend these allegations in court. You have made it clear in your attorney’s letters that you intend to take legal action to resolve this alleged defamation,” said Fray and Eric Beecher, president of Private Media. “We are determined to fight for the integrity and importance of diverse independent media in Australian democracy.” Crikey also said he “stands by his story and we look forward to defending independent public interest journalism in court against Lachlan Murdoch’s considerable resources”. The media website initially deleted the opinion piece after Murdoch’s initial complaint, but “after an agreement failed to be reached, it has since brought the article back live”. The online-only publication claims to have 20,000 subscribers who pay A$199 (US$141) a year for access.
