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Yahoo.com

CNN is being sued for defamation by Zachary Young, a security consultant living in Vienna who has worked for the CIA. Young was included in a report by CNN's chief security correspondent, Alex Marquardt, on how Afghans, desperate to escape Taliban forces after the U.S. exit, were charged exorbitant fees for help in getting out.

Young, who advertised his evacuation services on LinkedIn, has said he only took on clients with corporate sponsors. He extracted 22 employees for Bloomberg and Audible from Afghanistan. He said he never took money directly from Afghans, who CNN said in the piece were being exploited as they feared retribution from the Taliban for aiding American forces.

Young was seeking $14,500 for getting people out of the country at the time. His services were described in the CNN segment alongside interviews with Afghans who spoke about efforts by people to escape, but they had no connection to Young.

His suit said his inclusion in the story, which used the term "black market" in an on-screen banner, implied that his activity was criminal, even though Marquardt's segment made no such charge. "Black market" was also used in the introduction of the report when it first ran on "The Lead With Jake Tapper," other CNN programs and the network's website and social media accounts.

The jury in the civil trial, heard in a Bay County, Fla., court, must determine whether CNN journalists acted with actual malice, which is defined as the publication of false information with reckless disregard of the truth. If CNN is found liable, Young can be awarded punitive damages.

Young claims the story destroyed his reputation and ability to earn a living — driving his annual income from $350,000 to zero — and caused severe emotional and psychological distress. Vel Freedman, an attorney for Young, described CNN as "peddling scandal for views and clicks" and asked the jurors to "send a message that news organizations must be held accountable."

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Originally posted by jimb888:
Man, Trump shows up back on the scene and the usual bullshit (that has nothing to do with Trump) doesn't fly anymore and the world appears saner.

I've noticed that since the election, CNN's many lies seems to have slowed way down. It's a nice trend, but I won't be inclined to believe them, the NY Times or the Washington Post (and bunches of other lying F's) anytime soon.

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Originally posted by bdylan:
Hopefully it's a crippling, vengeful judgement. CNN should be ordered to devote a half hour of airtime to rehabilitating this guy's reputation.

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Originally posted by downtownv:

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Originally posted by bdylan:
Hopefully it's a crippling, vengeful judgement. CNN should be ordered to devote a half hour of airtime to rehabilitating this guy's reputation.

Daily, for a month!

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Originally posted by Rey HRH:
Good for him. I wonder what skill set you need to be able to offer the services he did. Doesn’t sound like a typical travel agency.

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The settlement amount was not disclosed, but it came after an expert witness [plaintiff’s forensic accountant] suggested $150 million was a fair amount to punish CNN.

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Originally posted by nhtagmember:
Any word on the punitive damages award yet?

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Originally posted by Sig2340:
Read Operation Pineapple Express by Lieutenant Colonel Scott Mann.