U.S. News & World Report has retracted an Associated Press article about Navy veteran Zachary Young while the AP defends its reporting, highlighting a growing rift between major news organizations over journalistic standards and accuracy.
At a Glance
- U.S. News & World Report retracted an AP article about Navy veteran Zachary Young that claimed his business “helped smuggle people out of Afghanistan”
- Young, who previously won a $5 million defamation lawsuit against CNN, has now filed a similar lawsuit against the AP
- The AP stands by its reporting as “factual and accurate” despite U.S. News’ retraction
- Young’s attorneys argue the term “smuggling” falsely implies criminal activity, damaging his reputation
- The dispute highlights growing concerns about journalistic standards in reporting on controversial subjects
Media Outlets Clash Over Veteran’s Reputation
A significant dispute has emerged between U.S. News & World Report and The Associated Press after U.S. News retracted an AP article about Zachary Young, a U.S. Navy veteran who previously won a $5 million defamation lawsuit against CNN. The retracted article contained language claiming Young’s business “helped smuggle people out of Afghanistan” during the 2021 U.S. military withdrawal, prompting Young to file a new defamation lawsuit against the AP.
The controversy centers on specific terminology used in the AP’s reporting. Young’s attorney, Daniel Lustig, has argued that using the term “smuggling” falsely characterizes Young’s legal evacuation efforts as criminal activity. This latest legal action follows Young’s successful lawsuit against CNN, where a jury awarded him $4 million in lost earnings and $1 million in personal damages after finding the network had defamed him in their coverage of his Afghanistan evacuation work.
Legal Battles and News Organization Responses
Young’s lawsuit against the AP seeks damages exceeding $50,000 and specifically targets a January 17 article by AP reporter David Bauder. The legal filing contends that the AP “knew or recklessly disregarded the truth” when publishing the article and ignored a retraction request from Young’s legal team. Young claims the reporting has caused him humiliation, mental anguish, and significant loss of business opportunities.
Despite U.S. News & World Report’s decision to retract the article, the AP maintains its position, with spokesperson Patrick Maks stating: “AP’s story was a factual and accurate report on the jury verdict finding in Zachary Young’s favor. We will vigorously defend our reporting against this frivolous lawsuit.” This contrasting response has created a rare public disagreement between major news organizations about reporting standards and accuracy.
Growing Pattern of Legal Challenges
Young has also filed a separate lawsuit against media outlet Puck for allegedly republishing CNN’s defamatory claims. According to court documents, Puck published an article by Eriq Gardner that repeated false claims about Young charging excessive fees to help people escape Taliban control without contacting Young for comment. Young’s consistent legal position across multiple cases is that his activities in Afghanistan were entirely legal and that he did not exploit Afghans.
Young’s legal team argues that his evacuation work was conducted exclusively with “deep-pocketed outside sponsors like Bloomberg and Audible,” not by charging vulnerable Afghans. The AP Stylebook itself defines human smuggling as transporting people across borders illegally for a fee, which Young’s attorneys argue makes the AP’s characterization particularly damaging, as it implies criminal conduct that was specifically disproven in Young’s successful CNN case.
Implications for Journalism Standards
The unusual step of U.S. News retracting an AP story while the AP stands by its reporting highlights growing tensions in media about reporting standards, particularly on sensitive or controversial subjects. Other outlets including The Minnesota Star Tribune and WAFF have not retracted the AP story, creating an inconsistent public record. The dispute raises important questions about how news organizations verify information, respond to correction requests, and navigate potential legal exposure.
Young’s multiple lawsuits reflect a broader pattern of public figures more aggressively challenging news reporting they consider defamatory. Filed in Bay County, Florida – the same venue as his successful case against CNN – Young’s lawsuit against the AP may signal a shifting environment for news organizations covering controversial topics, especially when the subjects have previously established successful defamation claims in court.
