Eric Prince Refiles Suit vs The Intercept

A federal judge has thrown out the latest defamation lawsuit against The Intercept by Erik Prince, the billionaire founder of the private security firm formerly known as Blackwater.

Prince’s defamation suits against The Intercept have now been tossed out three times, but he’s filed notice of an appeal. I Photo: Miller Center Flickr

But Prince refuses to give up, The Intercept fumed.

Prince’s defamation suits against The Intercept have now been tossed out three times, but he’s filed notice of an appeal. This is the weaponization of libel law: Billionaires using their deep pockets to chill journalism.

Lawsuits like these drain news organizations of time and money. The weaponization of libel law is simply a fact of life for journalists today. Big corporations including tobacco giants and billionaires like Peter Thiel have used libel suits to silence unfavorable news coverage.

The Intercept refused to back down or be distracted from its core mission and asked readers to join the paper in defending press freedom and battling the twisting of the law and the use of libel law to harass, intimidate, and punish journalists for their dogged pursuit of the truth.

Lawsuits like these don’t have to be successful in court to have a chilling effect on journalism. By forcing news outlets to defend themselves, defamation lawsuits send a message loud and clear: Investigating the rich and powerful could come at a steep cost.

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