Trump was found liable for sexual assault in a civil case, and George Stephanopoulos, described it Trump's being found, "Liable for rape,' and Trump sued, because under New York law at the time, it has to involve a penis penetrating a vagina to be rape. Everything else is sexual assault or sexual abuse.
Trump sued, and now ABC has capitulated and settled, because they fear that President Trump will make their life difficult.
F%$# that. Having a beef with authority is more than just part of the job for journalists, it is a badge of honor.
Even if one does not subscribe to New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, which remains the law of the land, Trump was found liable for what would be called rape in most of the United States.
A judge would dismiss this pretty early in the process.
In settling, they have endangered every journalist in the nation.
Last week, ABC News made a decision that should alarm anyone who cares about press freedom: it agreed to pay Donald Trump $16 million and issue a public apology over accurate reporting about his sexual abuse case. This wasn’t just a settlement—it was a surrender, and the implications for journalism are deeply troubling.
The details matter here. ABC is paying Trump $15 million (which will go to his “future presidential foundation and museum”) plus $1 million in legal fees because George Stephanopoulos used the phrase “liable for rape” when discussing Trump’s E. Jean Carroll case verdict. While the jury technically found Trump liable for sexual abuse rather than rape, even the judge noted this distinction was largely semantic, writing that the verdict didn’t mean Carroll had “failed to prove that Mr. Trump ‘raped’ her as many people commonly understand the word ‘rape.’”
In other words, ABC is paying Trump $16 million over what amounts to careful, defensible journalism.
As Margaret Sullivan points out in her latest American Crisis newsletter, this settlement breaks a cardinal rule of journalism: Don’t cave to legal intimidation. Drawing from her experience as editor of The Buffalo News, Sullivan explains that news organizations traditionally refuse to settle defamation cases because “settling would only encourage more people to sue.” Once you show that bullying works, you invite more bullying.
We know why they settled, it's because the owner of ABC, Disney, does not want any trouble with Trump in their activities.
F$#@ the F%$#ing Mouse.
0 comments :
Post a Comment