BuzzFeed claims victory in their case proving they were justified in publishing the Trump dossier, but there is no victory here. The judge’s decision says they had the right to publish it but they are libel for a big lawsuit. It’s a Pyrrhic Victory.
BuzzFeed claims they won a major victory despite their sketchy judgment in publishing the crazy, unverified Trump dossier. They say a federal judge vindicated their decisions.
A judge issued Wednesday a major judgment over the lawsuit against Buzzfeed News for their journalistically questionable decision to publish the now infamous ‘Trump dossier.’
“When we published the Steele Dossier in 2017,” [editor] Smith wrote, “we were met with outrage from many corners — a major news anchor and President Trump both deemed it ‘fake news’; and several Russian businessmen, plus Michael Cohen, sued for defamation.”
“Today, almost two years later, a federal judge has vindicated our decision,” he explained. “As Judge Ungaro affirmed in her ruling, a key principle underlying the First Amendment is that the public has a right to know about actions taken by its government.”
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As we have said from the start,” he continued, “a document that had been circulating at the highest levels of government, under active investigation by the FBI, and briefed to two successive presidents, is clearly the subject of ‘official action.'”
This next paragraph from BuzzFeed is a lie. It didn’t contribute to an ounce of understanding. It’s unverified.
“Moreover, its publication has contributed to the the the [sic] American people’s understanding of what is happening in their country and their government,” he concluded. “We are thrilled by today’s outcome, and thank Judge Ungaro for taking the time to consider this case on the merits.”
The Sentinel questions the judge’s decision because we believe it’s irresponsible to publish the dossier knowing it was unverified.
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Then along comes this article about BuzzFeed’s big setback on the same decision. As it happens, BuzzFeed can be sued for libel because of their publishing of the dossier. The Russian businessman implicated with the garbage they printed is not a public figure and has the right to sue for malice.
BuzzFeed’s legal defense of its decision to publish the so-called Trump dossier suffered a setback Tuesday night as a federal judge issued a ruling that could make it easier for a Russian internet entrepreneur to prevail in a libel suit against the online news outlet.
Miami-based U.S. District Court Judge Ursula Ungaro ruled that Russian businessman Aleksej Gubarev is not a public figure for purposes of the defamation suit he filed last year.
The decision means that Gubarev might be able to prevail in the suit by showing mere negligence by BuzzFeed and won’t have to meet the more demanding “actual malice” standard typically applied in U.S. courts in controversies involving prominent individuals or those actively engaged in a public debate.
BuzzFeed is disappointed.
BuzzFeed spokesman Matt Mittenthal expressed disappointment in the decision, but he stressed that the media company is advancing several other legal arguments about why it was justified in its decision to publish the dossier former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele compiled about alleged ties between President Donald Trump and Russia.
“While we disagree with this narrow opinion, it pertains only to one defense of our decision to publish the Steele Dossier, and has no bearing on the primary rationale: that the Dossier was the subject of official action by our government, briefed to two consecutive presidents, and under active and ongoing investigation by the FBI,” Mittenthal said.
Therefore, they will be sued and might be responsible for a substantial payout. They ruined the man’s business. It’s not a win. No one won. The dossier elucidated nothing since it’s nothing but gossip.
Journalists should not publish something that is fully unverified. It’s very irresponsible. They published gossip.
