Four Corners: Aug 30

On Monday, in the second part of a Four Corners special, Sarah Ferguson examines the case being made against high profile FOX News presenters and Trump backers.

Fox and the Big Lie: Part two of a special investigation into Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News & how the network promoted Donald Trump’s propaganda and helped destabilise democracy in America

“I just think about the impact that it’s had on the American people. And people will say, ‘well, it’s up to them to be able to make up their own minds’. Yes. But it’s also up to the morality of news operations to provide factual information.” Gretchen Carlson, former Fox News host

On the night of the US presidential election, Donald Trump declared the vote was a “major fraud on the American people”. Rather than face defeat, he, and his allies, began a campaign claiming the election had been stolen.

“The secret that Trump knows is, if you’re going to lie, go big. Right? Don’t waste your time on niggling little, tiny prevarications. Go big. And then what you do is you wait for the obsequious toads to come along and rationalise your lie.” Chris Stirewalt, Former Fox political editor

In the aftermath, high profile Fox News presenters gave a platform to Trump’s campaign pouring fuel on the already ferocious political divide.

“There was no bigger purveyor of the big lie than Fox news. People can point to some of these other smaller conservative networks, but nobody was watching them before the big lie.” Conor Powell, Former Fox correspondent

Now their words and actions in the feverish weeks that followed the election are under scrutiny in multi-billion dollar lawsuits.

“It’s a David versus Goliath and they certainly are Goliath.” Erik Connolly, lawyer

On Monday, in the second part of this Four Corners special, the program examines the case being made against high profile Fox News presenters and Trump backers.

“The network gave voice, repeatedly, to people putting forward the preposterous notion that the election had been stolen.” Chris Stirewalt, Former Fox political editor

In an exclusive interview, one of Trump’s closest allies and fervent advocates of the “stolen” election conspiracy is asked to justify her claims.

“What research or fact checking did you do at the time?” Reporter, Sarah Ferguson

The lawyers aren’t the only ones preparing to do battle. Donald Trump is back in the fight. The former president has returned to the campaign trail pushing the stolen election lie to his adoring fans as he teases another run for the presidency.

“I have a lot of friends, great people. They say ‘Mr President, don’t look back, look forward. You’re leading in every poll. You’re going to win the election so big in ’24, don’t look back.’” Donald Trump, June 2021

And there’s a warning from former Fox insiders that there are consequences for the media, and democracy in the United States.

“If we don’t find a way in the United States to run the news business, we’re going to fall apart. This is killing us.” Chris Stirewalt, Former Fox political editor

Monday 30th August at 8.30pm.