A Florida jury revealed one horrible secret about CNN the network wanted hidden

Jan 24, 2025

CNN once billed itself as the most trusted name in news. 

That slogan was called into question during a landmark court case. 

And a Florida jury revealed one horrible secret about CNN the network wanted hidden. 

CNN’s grim financial shape exposed by defamation lawsuit in Florida 

A jury in Florida found that CNN had defamed a Navy veteran who was conducting rescue missions in Afghanistan after the country fell to the Taliban in 2021. 

CNN aired a segment by chief national security correspondent Alex Marquardt in November 2021 on host Jake Tapper and Jim Acosta’s shows that falsely accused Navy veteran Zachary Young.

The segment claimed there was a black market of people who were illegally profiting from rescuing people from Afghanistan for outrageous fees. 

Young was the only person mentioned by name and pictured during the segment. 

Internal CNN communications showed that people at the network had doubts about the story’s accuracy, but they ran with it anyway. 

Marquardt agreed with a producer who said Young had a “punchable face” and said the Navy veteran was a “mf*****” that he wanted to “nail.”

Young’s legal team argued that CNN’s segment harmed his business and his reputation. 

A Florida jury found that CNN defamed Young and awarded him $5 million in damages. 

CNN had to pay punitive damages on top of that. 

Forensic economist Robert W. Johnson was called to testify as an expert witness by Young’s legal team to determine CNN’s financial shape for determining what the punitive damages should be. 

Johnson found that CNN’s revenue dropped from $2.2 billion in 2021 to $1.8 billion in 2023.

The struggling network saw its revenue decline by $400 million, 18%, over three years. 

Fox News’ Joseph Wulfsohn shared a picture of the numbers that were shown to Florida jurors. 

CNN has struggled for years with declining ratings and the numbers confirm that it is in free fall under its current business model. 

CNN’s coverage of its lawsuit is notably absent 

CNN constantly covers Fox News and the network’s reaction to the major news events of the day. 

The network was less interested in covering its high-profile defamation case in Florida. 

CNN settled the punitive damage phase of the case with Zachary Young out of court after reaching a confidential agreement. 

The news website Mediaite conducted a review of CNN’s transcripts and found that the network never mentioned the case once on air. 

The only mention of the case came in a brief article on CNN’s website. 

“We remain proud of our journalists and are 100% committed to strong, fearless, and fair-minded reporting at CNN, though we will of course take what useful lessons we can from this case,” a CNN spokesman said in a statement.

CNN’s primetime ratings have declined by 62% since 2020 according to Nielsen.

The network has axed staff and reshuffled its lineup of anchors in a bid to turn things around. 

CNN’s latest blackeye in the lawsuit by a Navy veteran is a sign the network still has not learned its lesson about truth and accuracy. 

DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this story.

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