WASHINGTON (TNND) — ABC News has agreed to pay $15 million to settle a defamation lawsuit former President Donald Trump filed. The lawsuit stemmed from a false claim made by an ABC anchor, who incorrectly stated that Trump was civilly liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll. The settlement highlights ongoing challenges faced by media […]
WASHINGTON (TNND) — ABC News has agreed to pay $15 million to settle a defamation lawsuit former President Donald Trump filed. The lawsuit stemmed from a false claim made by an ABC anchor, who incorrectly stated that Trump was civilly liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll.
The settlement highlights ongoing challenges faced by media organizations in maintaining accuracy. Media outlets have historically made errors, for example, the 2017 incident involving CNN. In that case, CNN linked Trump associate Anthony Scaramucci to a Russian investment fund under investigation. The story was later retracted, and CNN issued an apology to Scaramucci, resulting in the resignation of three journalists involved.
“The story did not meet CNN’s editorial standards and has been retracted,” CNN said in a statement at the time. “Links to the story have been disabled. CNN apologizes to Mr. Scaramucci.”
In 2017, TIME magazine incorrectly reported that a bust of Martin Luther King Jr. had been removed from the Oval Office. Additionally, TMZ falsely claimed that Trump changed “Black History Month” to “African American History Month,” a term used by previous presidents.
In 2019, MSNBC erroneously reported that Trump had talked about “exterminating Latinos,” a claim they later corrected and apologized for.
In 2021, Mediaite incorrectly stated that Biden did not refer to baseball legend Satchel Paige as a “Negro” during a Veterans Day speech when he actually did. USA Today also falsely claimed that Biden only checked his watch after a ceremony for U.S. soldiers killed in Afghanistan, though he was seen repeatedly checking his watch during the event, according to families of the fallen soldiers.
According to PolitiFact, Fox News claimed Biden was banning burgers, but Biden’s climate plans do not include restrictions on red meat consumption, the White House said. Biden never mentioned red meat when he announced his plan to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 50% to 52% by 2030.
These incidents underscore the importance of accuracy and thorough editorial review in journalism, particularly when reporting on high-profile figures.