CNN defamation case: The loss case is expected but still a blow for the network, says an insider

A CNN employee said that losing a high-profile case this week would have been expected in the network, but that did not stop it from leaving a mark.

“Being found guilty of defamation and dishonesty is a terrible thing,” the employee said bluntly in a message to Fox News Digital.

Navy SEAL Zachary Young successfully sued that CNN defamed him by suggesting that he made an illegal profit by helping people flee Afghanistan on the “black market” during the The Biden administration Demobilized in the country in 2021. Young believes CNN “damaged his reputation and his business” by naming him as an illegal profiteer who preyed on “desperate Afghans” during of 11 Nov. 2021, the report first aired on CNN “The Lead with Jake Tapper”. .”

After a tumultuous two-week trial in Florida, a jury ruled that Young should be awarded $4 million in lost wages and $1 million in damages, and found that the costs of sanctions were appropriate against CNN. Before the court could decide on the final amount, CNN and Young reached a settlement.

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Afterward, Young said he felt “blamed.”

“It's been three long years, and to have the result we wanted, which was a public prosecution, is an amazing feeling, and I'm glad it's over, and we didn't “We have to spend years and more time arguing about the meaning of the word,” Young said Fox News Digital on Friday.

While the case received little initial press coverage, as the trial progressed, the case attracted significant attention from mainstream outlets, and Friday's verdict was widely covered.

Young's legal team obtained CNN's internal communications and discovered it repeatedly showed employees showing hostility toward the Navy.

Among those brought before the court included one who called him a “s–tbag” and an “a–hole,” and another who said he had a “crack face.” And that was revealed Alex Marquardta CNN reporter leading the on-air report told a colleague “we're going to stick with Zachary Young mf—er,” which was quoted repeatedly during the trial, and said the report would be “your funeral. bucko,” he said of Young in an exchange with a colleague.

A CNN spokeswoman said the network would take “good lessons” from the case.

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“We remain proud of our reporters and are 100% committed to providing robust, fearless and unbiased reporting on CNN, although we will take any important lessons we can learn from this case ,” CNN said in a statement after the settlement.

A CNN official told Fox News Digital that they don't think CNN's coverage of the story reflects the culture within the company.

“The messages were bad… But I don't think it's a traditional internet issue,” they said. “He seemed to me to be an overzealous reporter – someone who believed something was true and gave facts about it…

They added that this comes at a time when bad behavior on the internet, fighting low standards and recorded at the time of dismissaland there doesn't seem to be any internal “protest” to the flag inside.

A spokesperson responded to reports about CNN's financial health by calling it “very healthy” and noting report to show parent company Warner Bros. Discovery was investing more than $70 million in its digital pivot.

A CNN insider told Fox News Digital that private messages what came out of the discovery were “destroying things.”

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At one point in the hearing, CNN's senior national security editor Thomas Lumley was stunned after internal emails showed he was deeply suspicious of the “good mistake” report. Lumley was called as a witness after internal memos revealed the report was “full of holes like Swiss cheese.”

Another reporter involved in the story, Katie Bo Lillis, admitted that she didn't think the role would affect Young; The plaintiff said it had damaged his reputation and had a severe impact on his life, leaving him depressed and miserable.

A number of CNN figures also disagreed with the network's decision to apologize in 2022 for suggesting that Young had worked on the “black market”.

“CNN reporters' misrepresentation on the witness stand . . . raises impact of Young v. CNN,” The Washington Post's. Erik Wemple wrote. “They stumbled when asked; they didn't stand up for important word choices; and in some cases, like Lillis, they seemed completely unaware of the impact of their vast network. , reaching more than 70 million homes in the United States.”

“CNN should be deeply ashamed that even with teams and editorial teams, they couldn't do basic journalistic jobs or overcome the obvious dysfunction among the high-paid, stars. arrogant TV personalities who play the journalist and cause,” a former CNN employee who is still working in the industry said. Fox News Digital.

CNN's news department provided limited coverage of the case. News reporter Hadas Gold printed something short about the decision, and chief media analyst Brian Stelter spoke briefly about the outcome in his newspaper Reliable Sources on Friday, in addition to one at the beginning of the trial on Jan. 6. According to Grabien's investigation, CNN has not covered the indictment or the court decision on air.

After the trial ended, Young told Fox News Digital that he had no hate for the network but hoped that CNN and other news organizations had learned from the experience.

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“I hope they take this as an opportunity to look in the mirror and realize that, you know, there's room for change and improvement, and if it's the result it has on CNN, maybe others the media can also see that as a good thing,” he said.