Text messages sent by CNN reporter Alex Marquardt indicate the corporate media outlet specifically targeted Navy veteran Zachary Young, the plaintiff in a $1 billion defamation trial against the network. Marquardt, who was placed on the witness stand on Monday, testified that he pitched the story to CNN regarding Afghans attempting to flee their country as the Taliban retook control in the summer of 2021. The story subsequently focused on Young, claiming he “preyed” on refugees as the U.S.-backed Afghanistan government collapsed.
“We gonna nail this Zachary Young mf**ker,” Marquardt wrote in a text message to CNN executives. The text was in response to a push by the network’s senior vice president of news, Adam Levine, to find someone to make the face of the story. In a devastating moment for CNN, Marquardt admitted that he never had definitive evidence that Young had scammed any Afghan refugees seeking to flee the Taliban. The corporate media reporter attempted to obfuscate the lack of evidence, claiming in court that Young’s “doing business” in Afghanistan was tantamount to “taking advantage” of the refugees.
The admission by Marquardt prompted Judge William Scott Henry—presiding over the defamation case—to direct a juror question to the reporter. “Why, after several examples of Mr. Young cut off communication with people without [corporate] funds, did you still feel as if he was still exploiting Afghans?” the judge—on behalf of the juror—asked, adding: “Do you and your colleagues believe that Mr. Young should have evacuated anyone who requested help without charging?”
Marquardt repeatedly insisted he was “proud” of his reporting and that CNN did not owe an apology to Young despite mounting evidence that the network and its reporting staff blatantly misconstrued the facts to smear the Navy veteran.
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