Navy Veteran’s Defamation Battle Against CNN: Revisiting the Afghanistan Evacuation Controversy
by Guy D. McCardle
21 hours ago
In the aftermath of the U.S. military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, numerous private entities and individuals mobilized to assist in evacuating at-risk Afghans. Among them was U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young, president of Nemex Enterprises Inc., a Florida-based security consulting firm. Young’s efforts, however, became the subject of a contentious defamation lawsuit against CNN, alleging that the network’s portrayal of his activities was both false and damaging.
The Genesis of the Lawsuit
Zachary Young’s lawsuit against CNN revolves around a segment aired on November 11, 2021, during The Lead with Jake Tapper. The segment focused on alleged “black market” rescue efforts taking place during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan earlier that year. In the report, CNN portrayed Young, a U.S. Navy veteran and security contractor, as someone potentially exploiting desperate Afghans by charging “exorbitant fees” for evacuation services. Terms like “black market,” “exploit,” and “exorbitant” were used, which Young’s legal team argues inaccurately painted him as a bad actor preying on vulnerable individuals.
In June 2022, Young filed a defamation lawsuit against CNN, claiming the network’s portrayal had severely damaged his reputation and business. He contends that the coverage falsely branded him as an “illegal profiteer” and implied he was involved in illegal activities. The lawsuit accuses CNN of defamation per se, defamation by implication, group libel, and trade libel. Young asserts that his efforts as a security consultant to save lives in Afghanistan were grossly misrepresented by what he calls “lies published for sensationalism.”
https://sofrep.com/news/navy-veterans-defamation-battle-against-cnn-revisiting-the-afghanistan-evacuation-controversy/
