Media defamation: CNN faces verdict for misrepresentation in Afghan rescue case
On Friday, a Florida jury ruled the prominent network defamed a U.S. Navy veteran in a 2021 report about individuals being paid to rescue endangered Afghans following the Taliban’s takeover of the country.
The jury in Panama City, Florida, deliberated for over eight months, starting last Thursday, before deciding in favor of Zachary Young. The man accused CNN of ruining his business by showing his face in a report about an alleged black market for smuggling desperate Afghans out of the country at high fees.
Zachary Young in court
How much does CNN owe after the verdict?
The jury awarded Young $5 million in damages and is now assessing whether CNN should also pay punitive damages. The network has stated that it will not comment on the verdict until after the punitive damages phase is completed.
Young argued that his business sought sponsors who could afford to cover the costs of evacuating Afghans, rather than charging individuals up to $10,000 for the service. While the network admitted that using the term “black market” was inappropriate, it maintained that its reporting on Young was accurate.
How did it start? Background of the case
The story by Alex Marquardt, the CNN reporter accused by Young, first aired on November 11, 2021, during Jake Tapper’s broadcast. Written versions of the story were also published on the network’s website.
Defamation lawsuits are rare in the United States due to strong constitutional protections for the press, which make proving libel challenging. From a media perspective, taking such cases to court is often considered risky and undesirable.
For instance, last year, ABC News resolved a libel lawsuit filed by former President Donald Trump by agreeing to pay $15 million for his presidential library. ABC’s parent company, Walt Disney Co., decided that prolonging the case wasn’t worth the potential cost, win or lose.
In another high-profile case, Fox News agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems $787 million on the day a trial was set to begin in 2023, settling claims of inaccurate reporting following the 2020 presidential election.
With the verdict in, attorneys are now hearing testimony about CNN’s overall financial standing as part of the punitive damages phase of the trial.