# Judge OK's Sarah Palin's libel lawsuit against NYTimes - could this portend a wheelbarrowful of suits against Fox "News"?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/judge-oks-sarah-palins-libel-lawsuit-against-nytimes-could-this-portend-a-wheelbarrowful-of-suits-against-fox-news/919611
**Category:** Great Debates
**Created:** [September 2, 2020, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/judge-oks-sarah-palins-libel-lawsuit-against-nytimes-could-this-portend-a-wheelbarrowful-of-suits-against-fox-news/919611 "2020-09-02T15:44:29Z")
**Posts on this page:** 12
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Running\_with\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Running_with_Scissors)
#### Post date: [September 2, 2020, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/judge-oks-sarah-palins-libel-lawsuit-against-nytimes-could-this-portend-a-wheelbarrowful-of-suits-against-fox-news/919611/1 "2020-09-02T15:44:29Z")
Palin’s lawsuit [alleges](https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/29/sarah-palin-libel-new-york-times-404810)
_The initial version of [the 2017 Times [editorial](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/14/opinion/steve-scalise-congress-shot-alexandria-virginia.html)] said it was “clear” that the 2011 shooting [of Rep. Gabby Giffords] was linked to a map Palin’s political action committee released that included crosshairs over Giffords’ Tucson district. However, no such link has ever been established._
Typically, public figures have a very high burden of proof for slander and libel cases. Do you think we’ll be seeing a lot of similar cases against Fox?
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### Author:  [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)
#### Post date: [September 2, 2020, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/judge-oks-sarah-palins-libel-lawsuit-against-nytimes-could-this-portend-a-wheelbarrowful-of-suits-against-fox-news/919611/2 "2020-09-02T16:46:10Z")
In what way was she damaged by this assertion? Her political career is gone and it would only increase her audience if true.
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### Author:  [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)
#### Post date: [September 2, 2020, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/judge-oks-sarah-palins-libel-lawsuit-against-nytimes-could-this-portend-a-wheelbarrowful-of-suits-against-fox-news/919611/3 "2020-09-02T17:14:43Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#):
>
> In what way was she damaged by this assertion? Her politicaI career is gone and it would only increase her audience if true.
Maybe she’s pissed that the Times didn’t work harder to establish that it was true, and that hindered her audience being increased…
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### Author:  [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)
#### Post date: [September 2, 2020, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/judge-oks-sarah-palins-libel-lawsuit-against-nytimes-could-this-portend-a-wheelbarrowful-of-suits-against-fox-news/919611/4 "2020-09-02T17:19:51Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#):
>
> Her political career is gone
To be fair, she’s been attempting to be a media figure since 2010 - when she joined Fox “News” as a commentator.
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### Author:  [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)
#### Post date: [September 2, 2020, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/judge-oks-sarah-palins-libel-lawsuit-against-nytimes-could-this-portend-a-wheelbarrowful-of-suits-against-fox-news/919611/5 "2020-09-02T17:45:25Z")
Aside from her appearances with her daughter on MTV’s “Teen Mom OG”, this article from four years ago is latest I could find:
> **[Will Sarah Palin have the last laugh? New show could earn millions](https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/will-sarah-palin-have-the-last-laugh-court-show-could-earn-millions-msna857371)**
>
> Her upcoming stint as a TV judge could prove to be her most ambitious and lucrative foray into entertainment to date.
An editorial painting her in a bad light the following year could conceivably have put an end to that.
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### Author:  [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)
#### Post date: [September 5, 2020, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/judge-oks-sarah-palins-libel-lawsuit-against-nytimes-could-this-portend-a-wheelbarrowful-of-suits-against-fox-news/919611/6 "2020-09-05T22:24:25Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#):
>
> o be fair, she’s been attempting to be a media figure since 2010 - when she joined Fox “News” as a commentator.
I guess the game show circuit’s pretty slow these days.
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### Author:  [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2020, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/judge-oks-sarah-palins-libel-lawsuit-against-nytimes-could-this-portend-a-wheelbarrowful-of-suits-against-fox-news/919611/7 "2020-09-08T00:27:06Z")
Sadly democrats are a lot less aggressive so even if it changes the law I doubt democrats take advantage of it.
If they did the right would be buried under lawsuits.
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### Author:  [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2022, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/judge-oks-sarah-palins-libel-lawsuit-against-nytimes-could-this-portend-a-wheelbarrowful-of-suits-against-fox-news/919611/8 "2022-02-16T03:36:10Z")
Bumping this old thread because, as all Dopers surely know by now, it’s in the news again and there isn’t another thread that I know of that’s specifically dedicated to this topic . . .
Besides, the following is directly relevant to OP’s topic:
> **[Fox News may be secretly relieved that Sarah Palin's NYT libel lawsuit failed...](https://www.rawstory.com/sarah-palin-lawsuit-could-hurt-fox/)**
>
> After losing her libel lawsuit against the New York Times, Sarah Palin has the option to appeal the case, and she might decide that it's worth the effort if she can eventually make her case before the United States Supreme Court.As Bloomberg News...
So, in answer to the OP and the above link:
No shit, Sherlock!
All the (sensible) news commentators seem to agree that, had Palin won this case, it would be a disaster for journalism. Reporters would have to dance on eggshells with every word they write.
As we know from yesterday’s news, the judge dismissed the case (while the jury was deliberating!) but allowed the jury to continue anyway on the theory that Palin would appeal. Then the jury unanimously decided in favor of the Times after all.
The judge remarked that the jury’s time was not wasted, saying that he had ruled on the law, while the jury had ruled on the facts. So a double whammy against Palin. Appeal THAT!
Had Palin won this case, I think it would affect – very badly – the most dishonest right-wing conservative media much more than any reputable mainstream (even conservative) media. They’d be up to their assholes in lawsuits.
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### Author:  [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2022, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/judge-oks-sarah-palins-libel-lawsuit-against-nytimes-could-this-portend-a-wheelbarrowful-of-suits-against-fox-news/919611/9 "2022-02-16T04:25:41Z")
While I am glad about the judge’s decision, I question his timing. Why the heck didn’t he dismiss this sooner as in before he sent the jury to deliberate? Presumably if the suit was totally meritless on the law that would be identified early in the proceedings. If he needed to hear the evidence presented in order to decide whether there was any malice isn’t he deciding on the evidence?
Finally does the jury know that he has already thrown out the case? If so then I don’t see how they could possibly be thought of as unbiased. I’d love to hear a lawyer’s interpreation of this but to my lay eyes it looks like a giant clusterfuck on the part of the judge.
I eagerly await [LegalEagle’s](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpa-Zb0ZcQjTCPP1Dx_1M8Q) next youtube video.
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### Author:  [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2022, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/judge-oks-sarah-palins-libel-lawsuit-against-nytimes-could-this-portend-a-wheelbarrowful-of-suits-against-fox-news/919611/10 "2022-02-16T04:41:04Z")
FWIW, The Onion doesn’t seem worried at all.
> **[Judge Dismisses ‘New York Times’ Libel Suit Brought By Cannibal Terrorist...](https://www.theonion.com/judge-dismisses-new-york-times-libel-suit-brought-by-1848541793)**
>
> NEW YORK—Following a lengthy five-year legal battle, sources confirmed Tuesday that a federal judge had dismissed a libel suit brought against The New York Times by cannibal terrorist Sarah Palin. “The law sets a very high standard for actual malice,...
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### Author:  [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2025, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/judge-oks-sarah-palins-libel-lawsuit-against-nytimes-could-this-portend-a-wheelbarrowful-of-suits-against-fox-news/919611/11 "2025-04-22T20:27:13Z")
> **[The New York Times did not libel former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, jury finds](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/sarah-palin-new-york-times-libel-rcna202466)**
>
> She testified that death threats against her increased after an editorial with an error said her PAC had contributed to political rhetoric that enabled an atmosphere of violence.
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### Author:  [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2025, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/judge-oks-sarah-palins-libel-lawsuit-against-nytimes-could-this-portend-a-wheelbarrowful-of-suits-against-fox-news/919611/12 "2025-04-23T02:38:44Z")
So can Sarah Palin’s history of lies be used to bury her under lawsuits?
[https://www.sfgate.com/books/article/The-Lies-of-Sarah-Palin-by-Geoffrey-Dunn-2371743.php](https://www.sfgate.com/books/article/The-Lies-of-Sarah-Palin-by-Geoffrey-Dunn-2371743.php)
Trump lied 30,573 his first 4 years as president. Why wasn’t he buried under lawsuits?
[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/01/24/trumps-false-or-misleading-claims-total-30573-over-four-years/](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/01/24/trumps-false-or-misleading-claims-total-30573-over-four-years/)