How the Media Destroyed Itself

CNN was found guilty last week of defamation in a lawsuit brought by Navy veteran Zachary Young. It is just the latest example of a network behaving badly in a media ecosystem that is collapsing.

On Friday a Florida jury ruled against CNN, awarding $5 million in compensatory damages for defamation. While jurors deliberated on the amount of punitive damages to be awarded to the plaintiff, a deal was reached for an undisclosed amount. (Estimates put the figure at $150 million.)

The verdict was yet another blow to CNN, which disclosed during the trial that its revenues had dropped by $400 million over the last three years. CNN attorneys had pleaded with jury members to be gentle with the network in light of its dire financial situation and the important role it plays in our society, an irony that was not lost on commentators.

“Imagine going on CNN as an on-air personality and preaching about the evils of disinformation and the need for ‘professional journalism,’” Glenn Greenwald dryly noted, “right after a jury found CNN not only liable for a $5 million defamation judgment but also punitive damages since they lied maliciously.”

For those unaware, the lawsuit involved Zachary Young, a Navy veteran CNN accused of illegally profiting from people fleeing Afghanistan during the 2021 military withdrawal.

In a Nov. 11, 2021 segment, CNN anchor Jake Tapper told his audience how CNN correspondent Alex Marquardt had discovered that “Afghans trying to get out of the country face a black market full of promises, demands of exorbitant fees, and no guarantee of safety or success.” Marquardt intensified his critique during the segment, asserting that "desperate Afghans are being exploited" and are forced to pay "exorbitant, often impossible amounts" to escape the country.

He then singled out Young and his company as an example. Yet it turns out that CNN’s allegations were false and significantly harmed Young’s ability to get new contracts (go figure). Furthermore, according to emails, CNN appeared to have had a personal beef with Young.

George Washington University Law School Jonathan Turley, who has covered the case extensively, summarizes:

The evidence included messages from Marquardt that he wanted to “nail this Zachary Young mf**ker” and thought the story would be Young’s “funeral.” After promising to “nail” Young, CNN editor Matthew Philips responded: “gonna hold you to that cowboy!” Likewise, CNN senior editor Fuzz Hogan described Young as “a shit.”

As is often done by media, CNN allegedly gave Young only two hours to respond before the story ran. It is a typical ploy of the press to claim that they waited for a response while giving the target the smallest possible window. In this case, Young was able to respond in a short time and Marquardt messaged a colleague, “f**king Young just texted.”

The network’s lack of professionalism is appalling, but it shows what CNN and many other media outlets have become: reckless organizations more interested in narrative than truth.

Jim Acosta can wax nostalgically about media being “for the people” and the search for truth, but CNN has shown little interest in truth or facts in recent years. If you need more evidence, consider this video from journalist Matt Orfalea, which provides a deep-dive analysis of the 2019 Lincoln Memorial Confrontation.

The video (which can be found here) shows how narrative trumped facts and truth in the saga involving Nick Sandmann, a high school student from Covington Catholic High School in Kentucky who found himself at the center of America’s cultural war.

On January 18, 2019, Sandmann and his classmates attended the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., as part of a school trip. After the march, the students gathered near the Lincoln Memorial to await their bus ride home. Two other groups—the Black Hebrew Israelites and Indigenous Peoples March participants—were also in the area.

Dozens were in attendance and words were exchanged over a period of hours, but what captured national attention was a short video clip showing Sandmann standing face-to-face with Nathan Phillips, a Native American elder and activist, who was beating a drum and chanting. Sandmann remained mostly still and silent, though at times his face broke into a smile. The “smirk” became a focus of intense national criticism, but it was criticsm built on a lie criticism

Media framed the incident as an example of disrespectful, racially-charged behavior by privileged, Trump-supporting students toward a Native American elder. Widespread condemnation from media outlets, public figures, and social media users ensued. We soon learned, however, that media had the story totally wrong. It wasn’t just that they misinterpreted a few subjective events incorrectly; they invented facts and latched onto demonstrable falsehoods (as Orfalea demonstrates in his video).