Jury Finds CNN “Committed Defamation Against Navy Vet Zachary Young”

A Florida jury determined that CNN (with Jake Tapper’s involvement) defamed U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young.  The Jury awarded Young a total of $5 million in damages; $4 million for lost earnings and $1 million for emotional damages in addition to punitive damages (to be determined during the second phase of the trial).

Young claimed that CNN's reporting on “The Lead with Jake Tapper” falsely portrayed him as an "illegal profiteer" who exploited "desperate Afghans" by charging "exorbitant fees" for evacuation services during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. 

During the trial, internal messages from CNN staff were revealed, including disparaging comments about Young, with one message indicating intent to "nail this Zachary Young mfucker". Other internal messages from CNN staff expressed skepticism about the story's accuracy, with one editor describing it as "full of holes like Swiss cheese."

CNN argued that their reporting was fair and accurate, reflecting the chaotic situation in Afghanistan.  They also claimed that the use of "black market" was not intended to imply criminal activity but rather to describe an unregulated market for evacuations.

Defamation lawsuits against media entities are rare due to the high bar set by constitutional protections for press freedom.  The decision could be seen as a significant event for media accountability.