Panama City, Florida – Longtime CNN journalist Fuzz Hogan remained defiant despite his controversial reporting being at the center of his coverage. A high-stakes defamation trial It was reviewed by plaintiff's attorney Zachary Young.
Young, a U.S. Navy veteran, denigrated him in a report that CNN first aired on “The Read with Jake Tapper” in November 2021, and accused desperate people trying to flee Afghanistan The lawsuit alleges that the company had illegally profited from. Biden administration's This suggests that he was involved in “black market” trading and ruined his professional reputation as a result.
Hogan, who was a senior editor at CNN at the time of the report, testified that the term “black market” never appeared in the article he approved. But he later said he thought the description was “accurate” given the turmoil in Afghanistan and denied the term had any “negative connotations”.
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CNN journalist Fuzz Hogan used the term “black market” to describe U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young's financial dealings in a report aired on “The Read with Jake Tapper.” denied that it had a “negative connotation.” (CNN/Screenshot)
He claimed he was unaware that CNN anchor Pamela Brown, who replaced host Jake Tapper on “The Read,” apologized on-air in March 2022, months after the news broadcast. .
“In November, we published an article about Afghans desperate to flee the country in the face of high payments that are beyond the reach of the average Afghan. Introductory texts and banners referring to “black market” were included throughout the article. “The use of the term 'black market' in the story was incorrect, and the story included reporting about Zachary Young,” Brown told viewers in March 2022.
“We did not intend to suggest that Mr. Young was participating in the black market,” she continued. “We regret the error and apologize to Mr. Young.”
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Longtime CNN journalist Fuzz Hogan said he wasn't aware that the network had apologized for its coverage of Zachary Young, but insisted an apology wasn't necessary. (FOX News Digital/Law and Crime)
After viewing the footage in court, Hogan said he disagreed that CNN should have apologized, repeatedly calling it a “correction.”
Hogan said he “didn't think a correction was necessary” and then stood by the on-air coverage, saying CNN's online coverage was “pretty good.”
A young lawyer, Joe Delich, pulled out internal CNN communications that Hogan exchanged with digital editor Tom Lumley, who criticized correspondent Alex Marquardt's reporting as “nothing like poetry.”
“I just want to publish something to alleviate the drama. I also think this is a half-good story,” Lumley wrote. “We should have kept it going and covered it more. Or he should have.”
“Yeah,” Hogan replied to Lumley. “It feels like a good character, but I'm only 3/4 of the way to a bigger character.”
When asked whether he would approve publication of an article that he felt was only “three-quarters of a larger article,” Hogan replied, “Any article can be long.”
He went on to say he wasn't concerned about The Lead's coverage being aired too soon or incompletely.
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Hogan said he disagreed with CNN's decision to have stand-in anchor Pamela Brown air an apology. (Screenshot/CNN)
Delich also pulled up correspondence showing Hogan calling Young “shh,” which Hogan said on the witness stand. Mr. Delich later highlighted the context of this exchange in questioning to a CNN reporter, and Mr. Hogan responded to comments made by Mr. Young to a prospective client that Mr. Hogan said it promised too much protection for people stranded in Afghanistan. It was acknowledged that this was the answer. Hogan denied the CNN report, which was aimed at hurting Young.
Later, when asked directly if he would change anything about CNN's coverage of Young, Hogan said, “No.”
After CNN aired the controversial report, Hogan was promoted to become one of the network's directors of standards and practices. According to his LinkedIn page, Hogan is “responsible for ensuring that CNN's television and online coverage meets the network's standards of accuracy, fairness, and balance.”
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Hogan referred to U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young as a “st” in CNN's internal communications leading up to the controversial on-air report. (Jessica Costescu)
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Hogan was the first CNN employee to testify. Marcato, the correspondent who led CNN's corner at the center of the defamation case, is scheduled to testify on Monday.
The trial is being streamed live fox news digital.
