Sydney (AFP) - Fox News boss Lachlan Murdoch has sued a small Australian media outlet for defamation over an opinion piece that linked his media empire to the US Capitol riots.
The scion of the Murdoch media empire is seeking damages, accusing Crikey staff of tarnishing his reputation and "covertly using another media organisation to harass" him.
Murdoch -- whose Fox News Channel regularly rails at threats to free speech -- also asked the court to permanently ban the site from publishing anything suggesting he "illegally conspired with Donald Trump" around the events of January 6.
The lawsuit was filed late Tuesday in Australia's federal court, and came after Crikey published letters from Murdoch's lawyers and dared him to sue.
Crikey even took out an advertisement in the New York Times on Monday, publishing an open letter that welcomed the opportunity to "test this important issue of freedom of public interest journalism in a courtroom".
Murdoch is chief executive of media behemoth Fox Corporation, which owns Fox News, and co-chairman of News Corp.
He is the eldest son of billionaire media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, owner of scores of outlets including The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post.
'Unindicted co-conspirator'
The lawsuit was sparked by a June 29 article written by Crikey's political editor Bernard Keane, headlined: "Trump is a confirmed unhinged traitor.And Murdoch is his unindicted co-conspirator".
The original piece did not name the younger Murdoch directly, referring only to the "Murdochs and their slew of poisonous Fox News commentators".
In legal correspondence with Murdoch, Crikey's lawyers argued readers would more likely think the article referred to his father.
However, Murdoch's lawyers argued in documents filed to the federal court Tuesday that their client was defamed 14 times by the article.
The legal filing also refers extensively to an article published in the Sydney Morning Herald -- a major Australian newspaper -- about Murdoch threatening to sue Crikey.
Murdoch's lawyers alleged that Crikey tipped off the Sydney Morning Herald, and has since used the saga to drive subscriptions.
The Fox executive has retained high-profile barrister Sue Chrysanthou, who previously represented actor Geoffrey Rush in his defamation case against another Australian media organisation.
Crikey stands by story
The legal tussle pits an upstart website, with subscriber numbers in the low tens of thousands, against one of the world's largest media empires.
Crikey editor-in-chief Peter Fray and chairman Eric Beecher said Wednesday that the site "stands by its story".
"We look forward to defending our independent public interest journalism in court against the considerable resources of Lachlan Murdoch," the pair said in a statement published by the site.
"We believe that coverage of the events of January 6 at the US Capitol, and the role of Fox News in those events, is absolutely legitimate."
Murdoch's representatives told AFP he would not be commenting as the matter was before the court.
'The defamation capital'
The story has made waves in Australia, where the Murdoch family remains a major player in the local media despite its global expansion.
Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull weighed into the saga Wednesday, saying he was "very surprised" by Murdoch's decision.
"I think it's hypocritical," he told public broadcaster ABC, adding that the Murdochs were "always bleating about freedom of speech, and how the defamation laws are too harsh".
Australia's tough libel laws offer few protections to the media and have earned the country the nickname "the defamation capital of the world".
