Private Media, which owns news website Crikey, has published private legal correspondence with Lachlan Murdoch and will effectively dare the media mogul to sue over an article that linked his family to the January 6 Capitol attacks.

The explosive manoeuvres from the small subscription-based outfit, which includes taking out an advertisement in The New York Times, will set up a potential blockbuster defamation battle against Mr Murdoch – whose own Fox News is the subject of a major defamation lawsuit over alleged false claims related to the 2020 US election.