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‘Fed Up With Fake News’: CNN Juror Would Have Awarded Up to $100 Million in Punitive Damages
The foreperson in the CNN defamation trial said the jury was sending a message that the general public is 'fed up with fake news and partial truths.'
But in messages displayed to the jury, reporter Alex Marquardt spoke of seeking to “nail this Zach Young mfucker,” while colleague Katie Bo Lillis called him a “shitbag,” and producer Michael Conte wrote that he had a “punchable face.” Jane Kirtley, a professor of media ethics and law at the University of Minnesota, said the case serves as a cautionary tale, reminding journalists that the “gallows humor” of the newsroom may not play well in court. “I think the jury sent the message we asked for: if media companies create theater in the newsroom, Americans will hold them accountable in the courtroom,” said Vel Freedman, the lead plaintiff’s lawyer, in an email.
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