ZACHARY YOUNG: CNN ruined my career, crippled my marriage and destroyed my life. But the sickening truth is... they don't give a damn
I always knew that liberal media bias existed. I just never expected that it would be turned so ferociously against me.
But more than three years ago, that's exactly what happened. And I was nearly destroyed by it.
For reasons that I will never fully understand, the journalists, editors and staff of CNN decided that I – a Navy veteran, ex-CIA employee, patriot and husband – deserved to be ruined.
For that, I'll never forgive them. But most terrifying of all, CNN has made clear that if given the chance, they'd likely do it again… to someone else.
My saga started in the aftermath of President Joe Biden's disastrous withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan in late August 2021.
At the time, I was hard at work doing what I do best: rescuing people.
Relying on my military and intelligence background, I – like others who have followed a similar career path – opened my own business specializing in extracting innocent people from war zones.
And I was employed by the financial and media giant Bloomberg and the podcast company Audible to get people out of Afghanistan after it became clear that the long-suffering nation would be handed back to its Islamic fundamentalist rulers, the Taliban.
For reasons that I will never fully understand, the journalists, editors and staff of CNN decided that I – a Navy veteran, ex-CIA employee, patriot and husband – deserved to be ruined.
Over several months my company saved 24 people – mostly women. And like all small business owners, I charged my clients a fee that they willingly paid to protect the lives of the evacuees.
To CNN, however, I was a villain of the worst kind – a war profiteer.
On Jake Tapper's show 'The Lead', CNN's chief national security correspondent Alex Marquardt falsely reported that contractors like myself were charging 'exorbitant fees' and exploiting Afghans who were fleeing for their lives.
My picture was flashed across the TV screen as a CNN graphic suggested that I was part of some abominable 'black market' world that preyed on the vulnerable. But I was the only person mentioned by name in Marquardt's report.
'According to Afghans and activists we've spoke with,' Marquardt told Tapper, 'desperate Afghans are now being exploited' and compelled to pay 'impossible' sums.
Of course, nothing could be further from the truth.
I had never rendered my services to any Afghans or participated in any illegal enterprise, as CNN had claimed. But, as they say, a lie will travel halfway around the world before the truth can even get his pants on.
Professionally, I was devastated. My business, which had generated profits of hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, was ruined. My reputation – which is everything in my industry – was trashed.
Not only did CNN's erroneous reporting hurt me personally, but it also hamstrung those who needed my services. I can't say that CNN caused people to be left behind to be killed by the Taliban, but I can tell you it's something that I've thought about.
Beyond all of that, I also suffered a personal cost.
On Jake Tapper's show 'The Lead', CNN's chief national security correspondent Alex Marquardt falsely reported that contractors like myself were charging 'exorbitant fees' and exploiting Afghans who were fleeing for their lives.
Relying on my military and intelligence background, I – like others who have followed a similar career path – opened my own business specializing in extracting innocent people from war zones.
Pictured: CNN's chief national security correspondent Alex Marquardt
Shortly after Marquardt's broadcast, I began suffering daily panic attacks. I was diagnosed with severe depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. I went through long periods of not being able to sleep. I put on weight. I stopped taking care of myself.
Most painful of all, I became withdrawn from my loving wife.
As the sole breadwinner for my family, I was humiliated and emasculated.
My wife had always known me as a self-assured man. But I suddenly felt that I couldn't even face her. We put off having a child, deciding that it would be irresponsible to bring another life into our situation.
So, for all of the pain and destruction that CNN caused, I sued and – after refusing CNN's offer to settle the case – I had my day in court.
On the witness stand, their pathetic journalistic practices were laid bare.
One CNN senior director of standards testified that he had approved a 'three-quarters true' story. It was also revealed that editors in internal CNN communications admitted that the piece was 'full of holes,' 'incomplete' and '80 percent emotion, 20 percent obscured fact.'
But none of that mattered to staff that gleefully derided me – in their private messages.
Marquardt even texted a CNN producer saying, 'I'm going to nail that Zachary Young motherf****r.'
The producer texted back: 'I'm going to hold you to that, cowboy.'
In early January, a jury of six awarded me $5 million for lost finances and personal suffering – finding that CNN maliciously defamed me, intending to do me harm. The jury also determined that CNN needed to be punished and awarded me punitive damages too (a sum that I am not permitted to disclose).
So, for all of the pain and destruction that CNN caused, I sued and – after refusing CNN's offer to settle the case – I had my day in court.
120,000 people were airlifted out, while the rest became subject to the speedy resurgence of the Taliban
My wife had always known me as a self-assured man. But I suddenly felt that I couldn't even face her. We put off having a child, deciding that it would be irresponsible to bring another life into our situation. (Pictured: Zachary Young and his wife)
I'll never know why CNN was so determined to destroy me, but I have my theories.
First, I believe that politically motivated left-wing journalists saw my story as an opportunity to distract attention away from Biden's calamitous pullout of US troops that resulted in the deaths of 13 servicemembers – and the devastation of Afghanistan.
And second, I think that many of the reporters, anchors and producers of CNN truly saw me as evil.
To them, everything in the world should be free and borders should be open.
To them, the idea of charging to evacuate people from a war zone is repulsive.
They ignore the fact that US taxpayers paid defense contractors more than a reported $100 billion over the course of the war in Afghanistan and my fees – paid by private companies – pale in comparison.
But that's the type of deranged liberal media that we're dealing with.
In their rose-colored worldview, what I did was distasteful and I - a white, middle-aged American – was a ripe target.
It is this perverse perspective of America that I pray my lawsuit will begin to address. Though, I don't have much reason to be hopeful.
At trial, Alex Marquardt said that he'd report my story that same way again
To this day, he remains on the air and CNN's leadership remains firmly behind him. And the network has even retracted the on-air apology that they once made to me.
No, CNN hasn't learned from this experience. And I shiver to think that another American may suffer like I did.
So, I will continue to speak out.
