CNN Defamation Trial: Jurors Are Urged to ‘Send a Message’ to Mainstream Media
variety.comGene Maddaus Senior Media Writer An attorney urged jurors on Tuesday to “send a message to the mainstream media” by finding that CNN defamed a security contractor in a 2021 report about Afghan refugees.
Zachary Young is suing the network in Panama City, Fla., alleging that he was falsely portrayed as engaging in an illicit “black market” in the wake of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan by offering to get refugees out the country for $14,500 apiece.
During his opening statement on Tuesday, Young’s attorney, Kyle Roche, argued that CNN’s reporting was “reckless” with the facts, and that the network “set out to destroy Zach’s reputation.” “They didn’t care about the truth,” he said. “They cared about theater and they cared about ratings.” Roche argued that jurors can “change an industry” by sending a message that will be heard by “every news organization in America.” “Reckless journalism is un-American,” he argued. “It’s dangerous, and if media companies engage in theater in the newsroom, Americans will hold them accountable in the courtroom.” The trial is being held in a courthouse in Bay County, on the Florida Panhandle.
It comes a month after Disney agreed to a $15 million settlement with President-elect Donald Trump to resolve a defamation suit against ABC and George Stephanopoulos.
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