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Jury Orders CNN to Pay $5 Million for Defaming Navy Veteran in Jake Tapper Segment

Jan 17, 2025, 05:39 PM

A Florida jury has found CNN liable for defaming U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young in a 2021 report aired on Jake Tapper's segment about his efforts to evacuate people from Afghanistan. After more than eight hours of deliberation, the jury awarded Young $5 million in compensatory damages, with punitive damages to be decided later. The defamation case centered on CNN's portrayal of Young as an 'illegal profiteer' exploiting Afghans fleeing the Taliban during the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan. The verdict raises questions about CNN's reporting practices related to the events following the withdrawal.