Newsmax, Inc. (or Newsmax.com, previously styled NewsMax) is an American cable news, political opinion commentary, and digital media company founded by Christopher Ruddy in 1998. It has been variously described as conservative,[10]right-wing,[17] and far-right.[34] Newsmax Media divisions include its cable and broadcast channel Newsmax TV; its website Newsmax.com, which includes Newsmax Health and Newsmax Finance; and Newsmax magazine, its monthly print publication.
Newsmax launched a cable television channel on June 16, 2014, to 35 million satellite subscribers through DirecTV and Dish Network.[35] As of May 2019, the network claimed to reach about 70 million households via cable television.[36] As of September 2023, the average audience for Newsmax was 542,000.[37]
The website has been described by The New York Times as a "potent force in conservative politics."[42] CEO Christopher Ruddy has attempted to position the network as a competitor to Fox News, including by hiring former Fox News hosts Rob Schmitt, Greg Kelly, Bob Sellers, and Heather Childers.[43][44]The Washington Post described Newsmax as "a landing spot for cable news personalities in need of a new home," citing the network's airing of Mark Halperin and Bill O'Reilly following their resignations from other networks due to sexual harassment allegations.[45]
After the 2020 United States presidential election, Newsmax published numerous conspiracy theories made by President Donald Trump and the Trump campaign about voter fraud in the 2020 election, though the network never confirmed the veracity of the statements and accepted Joe Biden as duly elected president.[46][47][48] Newsmax later issued an apology and publicly retracted any voter fraud conspiracy allegations.[49] When asked about Newsmax's support of former President Trump, Ruddy stated, "We have an editorial policy of being supportive of the president and his policies".[50]
In 2021, Newsmax was sued by Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic for promoting false claims that the companies had engaged in election fraud during the 2020 presidential election.[51][52] Newsmax and Smartmatic settled the suit on confidential terms on September 26, 2024.[53][54] DirecTV dropped Newsmax from its lineup in January 2023, after the companies failed to agree on contract terms.[55][56] In response, forty-two House Republicans signed a letter to DirecTV executives attacking the removal as an act of "suppressing politically disfavored speech."[57] The two companies were able to resolve the dispute and DirecTV resumed broadcasting Newsmax on March 23, 2023.[58][59]
^Rupar, Aaron (July 28, 2021). "Why Newsmax is failing". Vox. Archived from the original on September 4, 2022. Retrieved September 4, 2022. Instead, you would've had to turn to Newsmax, the right-wing cable news channel that's sticking to its old-school strategy of being the Trumpiest channel on TV.
^"How conservative media has grown under Trump". Columbia Journalism Review. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2020. Some are venerable right-wing reliables like National Review, The Washington Times, or Newsmax.
^Moore, Roy L.; Murray, Michael D.; Youm, Kyu Ho (September 30, 2021). Media Law and Ethics (6 ed.). Routledge. ISBN978-1-000-43983-0. Archived from the original on September 5, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2022 – via Google Books. Also, a government cybersecurity official in charge of safeguarding the integrity of the presidential election sued the Trump Campaign, one of its lawyers and far-right media outlet Newsmax for libel, claiming they conspired to falsely assert widespread election fraud. [...] One Trump campaign lawyer said on far-right cable channel Newsmax: "He should be drawn and quartered. Taken out and shot."
^Delaney, Tim (May 6, 2022). The Diversity of Darkness and Shameful Behaviors. Routledge. ISBN978-1-000-58475-2. Archived from the original on September 5, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2022 – via Google Books. It needs to be noted that on April 30, 2021, Newsmax (the far right wing news alternative to FOX News) apologized for airing false allegations that Dominion Voting Systems manipulated machines or tallies on Election Day to the detriment of Donald Trump.
^Norman, Bob (July 20, 2021). "The right-wing media capital of America". Columbia Journalism Review. Archived from the original on October 10, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021. Gaetz found a lifeboat in Newsmax, the far-right cable station...
^"Newsmax on Freeview". Advanced Television. Creative Media Centre. October 12, 2023. Archived from the original on October 13, 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2023.