During CNN‘s defamation trial on Tuesday, a lawyer for Zachary Young alleged that a network editor “capitulated to the gods of media”
Tom Lumley, national security editor at CNN, provided insight on edits made to a written story featuring Young in his testimony.
Why It Matters
Trust in legacy media organizations has been declining in the United States for years. In April 2023, Fox News settled a lawsuit for $787 million after broadcasting false claims that voting machines were rigged in the 2020 presidential election.
The CNN case is being watched closely by media organizations to assess the limits of the First Amendment’s freedom of speech protections.
What To Know
Young is a U.S. Navy veteran featured in a segment on CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper on November 11, 2021, about the U.S. military‘s withdrawal from Afghanistan. The story was also published on CNN’s website and social media.
Young operated a business that helped Afghan citizens evacuate during that time. He is suing CNN, accusing the network of defamation and libel.
Young’s lawyer, Devin Freedman, said Lumley had reservations about the story but he “eventually capitulated to the gods of media.”
Lumley responded by asking Freedman who the “gods of media” are. Freedman said he was referring to Lumley’s bosses at CNN.
“They put pressure on you, you wanted to diffuse the drama, and you eventually went all in,” Freedman said.
Lumley disagreed with Freedman’s phrasing.
“That’s silly. I didn’t capitulate to anyone. My bosses at CNN are not gods. They are journalists, they are managers and they are people that I respect,” Lumley said.
Freedman then asked Lumley why he put aside his morals to publish the story. David L. Axelrod, a lawyer representing CNN, objected to the question.
“You don’t have to insult the witness to ask a question,” Axelrod said.
The defamation trial has featured testimony and depositions from multiple CNN journalists and executives.
What People Are Saying
Lumley, responding to Freedman in his testimony: “You suggested that I was the person who had massive problems and reservations about the story, and now you’re suggesting I was rewriting the story to impeach your client.”
What Happens Next
More evidence will be presented and more witnesses will be called as the trial continues. It is expected to last two weeks.
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