The Last Gasp of the Legacy Media
TownhallDec 07, 2024
ABC News Settles Trump Defamation Suit for $15M
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Image copyright: Hannah Beier/Contributor/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Facts
ABC News and television host George Stephanopoulos revealed Saturday they've agreed to pay $15M toward a future presidential library to settle a defamation lawsuit filed by Pres.-elect Donald Trump over statements made during a March 2024 broadcast.
This suit stemmed from Stephanopoulos repeatedly stating during an interview with Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) that Trump had been found liable for rape in E. Jean Carroll's defamation case against him. A jury had actually found Trump liable for sexual abuse under New York law.
As part of the settlement, which was agreed upon before Trump and Stephanopoulos sat for scheduled depositions, ABC News will pay an additional $1M in legal fees and must publish a statement expressing regret for the statements made during the broadcast.
The Spin
Right narrative
This settlement smells more like a Trump victory, and ABC News is seemingly getting off easy considering all the slander Stephanopoulos threw Trump's way. Finally, the far-left propaganda machine that's been trying to derail Trump is being held to account. We can expect even more of these triumphs once he returns to the White House.
Left narrative
It's disappointing that ABC News would agree to settle this case considering its First Amendment protections and many media experts saying it had a strong chance of winning. But this is just the latest of many capitulations made by mainstream media outlets in an attempt to curry favor with the incoming administration — and another sign of the deterioration of US democracy.
