Washington state nonprofit files lawsuit saying Fox News misled viewers about coronavirus
A little-known Washington nonprofit has filed a lawsuit against Fox News in King County Superior Court, claiming the news station, its parent companies and owners violated the state’s Consumer Protection Act and acted in bad faith by disseminating false information about the novel coronavirus through its television news broadcasts and minimized the danger posed by the virus as COVID-19 began to explode into a pandemic.
The suit, filed on behalf of the Washington League for Increased Transparency and Ethics (WASHLITE), alleges Fox News engaged in unfair or deceptive acts by representing the coronavirus as a hoax in broadcasts that aired in February and March. Those broadcasts caused viewers to fail to adequately protect themselves or mitigate the virus’ spread, and therefore contributed to the public-health crisis and preventable mass death, the lawsuit says.
WASHLITE was incorporated in September 2017 by an Onalaska, Lewis County, man, according to the Secretary of State’s website, but the nonprofit does not appear to have any other web presence.
Yakima attorney Liz Hallock, who is running for governor as a Green Party candidate, is representing WASHLITE in the lawsuit against Fox News.
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/washington-state-nonprofit-files-lawsuit-seeking-to-stop-fox-news-from-broadcasting-false-information-about-the-coronavirus/
