Jury set for CNN defamation trial after multiple candidates expressed disdain for network: ‘Not a fan of CNN’ [Video]

PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA – Legal teams representing CNN and the U.S. Navy veteran suing the network for defamation wrapped up jury selection on Monday in Bay County, Florida. 

Six women and two men were selected. There will be six jurors and two alternates when opening arguments kick off on Tuesday in the high-stakes trial. U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young alleges that CNN smeared him by implying he illegally profited when helping people flee Afghanistan on the “black market” during the Biden administration’s military withdrawal from the country in 2021. 

Young believes CNN “destroyed his reputation and business” by branding him an “illegal profiteer” who exploited “desperate Afghans” during a November 11, 2021, segment that first aired on CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper.” 14th Judicial Circuit Court Judge William S. Henry, who is presiding over the trial, has ruled that Young “did not act illegally or criminally” despite what the network reportedon air. Judge Henry has also suggested that CNN’s eventual on-air …