Posted on January 8, 2020

CNN Settles with Covington High Schoolboy

Gregory Hood, American Renaissance, January 8, 2020

The media smeared Catholic schoolboys as “racists” at the March for Life a year ago, in a confrontation with political activist Nathan Phillips that got intense coverage. The media were overwhelmingly biased against the students, especially Nick Sandmann, whose “smirk” and MAGA hat enraged leftists.

Now, one network is paying for it. CNN just settled a defamation lawsuit filed by Mr. Sandmann for an undisclosed sum. Other lawsuits — against the Washington Post and NBC — are working their ways through courts, including a suit against “Native American elder” Nathan Phillips, the man who banged a drum in Mr. Sandmann’s face. Reason said it was Mr. Phillips who first “misrepresented the situation in his public statements to news outlets,” so Mr. Sandmann probably has a good case.

Many conservatives celebrated the settlement, including Charlie Kirk, who had initially joined the online mob against Mr. Sandmann. In fairness, Mr. Kirk admitted he was wrong. Yet PJ Media reported that tweets from verified accounts attacking the students remain up. This includes Reza Aslan’s tweet that the young Mr. Sandmann has a “punchable” face, an implicit call for violence.

Liberals and non-whites did not like the verdict.

Mr. Sandmann did not start the confrontation. A thorough investigation cleared the students of any “offensive or racist” acts. Yet many still claim the Covington Catholic students, especially Mr. Sandmann, are racists. The facts don’t matter to them.

They are also free to vent their hatred on Twitter. Twitter banned both American Renaissance and Jared Taylor from Twitter without explanation, but Twitter welcomes your views if you want to call a 17-year-old student a “racist shithead” who should have his “ass beat.”