Fox News Meets Feisty Judge in Case Over Virus ‘Hoax’ (1)

Fox News was confronted by a judge skeptical of its claim that the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment bars a lawsuit alleging that a host on the network downplayed the danger of the coronavirus by calling it a “hoax.”

Brian McDonald, a Washington state judge, asked during a hearing Thursday whether it makes sense that the law allows people to sue others for harming their reputation with lies but gives a pass for falsehoods about threats to public health.

“As a policy rationale, it would seem an individual’s reputation is less valuable to society as a whole than making sure accurate ...