CNN reporter Alex Marquardt exits after network – Business News
A CNN correspondent on the middle of a nefarious report that value the network a minimum of $5 million for defaming a US Navy veteran is leaving the struggling network.
Chief national security correspondent Alex Marquardt landed in sizzling water earlier this yr after a Florida jury ruled that he defamed Zachary Young in 2021 by claiming the previous soldier illegally exploited Afghans during the Biden administration’s disastrous withdrawal from the nation.
Sources instructed former CNN media correspondent Oliver Darcy that Marquardt was fired — citing “editorial differences” along with his higher-ups on the network.
Marquardt — who labored at CNN for eight years and lately spearheaded its protection of the Russian-Ukraine struggle — didn’t point out the legal debacle or the rationale for his exit in saying the departure Monday.
CNN chief national security correspondent Alex Marquardt mentioned he’s leaving the network after 8 years. Jeremy Freeman/CNN
“Tough to say goodbye but it’s been an honor to work among the very best in the business,” Marquardt wrote in a post on X.
“Profound thank you to my comrades on the National Security team & the phenomenal teammates I’ve worked with in the US and abroad.”
CNN declined to remark.
@MarquardtA/X
In January, a Florida jury awarded Young $5 million after deliberating much less than 9 hours following a two-week trial in Panama City state courtroom.
An undisclosed settlement was reached to resolve the matter earlier than jurors calculated punitive damages, which might’ve added tens of millions more to the overall award.
The verdict added fuel to President Trump’s fiery criticism that CNN is biased.
During the trial, it was revealed that the ratings-challenged network ignored proof that countered its narrative.
In a damning message to a CNN colleague, Marquardt wrote that CNN goes to “nail this Zach Young motherf—er,” in response to courtroom information.
A producer mentioned that the plaintiff had a “punchable face.”
Marquardt landed in sizzling water earlier this yr after his 2021 report, which defamed Navy vet Zachary Young over claims he illegally exploited Afghans. CNN
An undated image of US Navy veteran Young. FOX News
The phase, which aired on Jake Tapper’s program “The Lead,” described the US authorities’s evacuation of residents.
It went on to say Afghans “trying to get out of the country face a black market full of promises, demand of exorbitant fees, and no guarantee of safety or success.”
The phase then turned to Marquardt, who described the scenario of a man situated within the US whose household remained in Afghanistan and mentioned that he discovered people on Facebook charging $10,000 per particular person to be evacuated.
Marquardt’s report value CNN a minimum of $5 million. CNN
Marquardt said, “according to Afghans and activists we’ve spoken with, desperate Afghans are now being exploited” as a result of of the “exorbitant” and “impossible” quantities charged, pointing to a LinkedIn post from Young promoting his companies and texts between him and people inquiring about his business.
CNN stood by Marquardt after the decision.
“We remain proud of our journalists and are 100% committed to strong, fearless and fair-minded reporting at CNN, though we will of course take what useful lessons we can from this case,” the network mentioned on the time.
Marquardt beforehand labored as a overseas correspondent for ABC News based mostly in Moscow, Jerusalem, Beirut and London.
He has received a number of honors, together with Emmy and Edward R. Murrow awards for an undercover investigation of underage intercourse trafficking within the Philippines.
