Private Media, the publisher of Crikey, has stepped up its legal battle with Lachlan Murdoch, claiming the Fox Corp boss is “morally and ethically culpable” for the January 6, 2021, US riots, while denying that it published Murdoch-related articles in a scheme to make money.

In a new defence statement filed with the Federal Court on Tuesday, Private Media introduced a vast swath of texts and emails unearthed in the impending trial between voting machine company Dominion and Fox.