CNN found guilty of libel

CNN Loses Defamation Trial Over Afghan Evacuation Report

CNN defamed a U.S. Navy veteran in a 2021 report portraying him as illegally exploiting Afghans by charging exorbitant fees to be evacuated in the aftermath of the U.S. military withdrawal from the country, a jury has found.

A Florida jury on Friday awarded Zachary Young, a security consultant who said the story destroyed his business and reputation, $5 million after a nine-day defamation trial, The Washington Post reporter Jeremy Barr, who was onsite for the trial, reported. The award doesn’t account for punitive damages, intended to punish particularly malicious conduct, which will push the total higher.

The five million is just the start. Some wonder if CNN will go under because of this. More to come on this topic.