Judge Dismisses $13.6 Million Defamation Lawsuit Against NewsGuard

A federal judge has dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by Consortium News against media ratings firm NewsGuard, which had assigned the outlet a low trust score of 47.5 out of 100. The judge ruled that Consortium News failed to demonstrate actual malice or that NewsGuard's statements were false, noting that the criticisms were protected opinion. NewsGuard labeled Consortium News as publishing misleading content regarding the Ukraine war, leading to a 'Proceed with Caution' warning. The court found that Consortium's claims did not sufficiently allege that NewsGuard acted with malice, and the terminology used, such as 'anti-U.S. perspective,' was not objectively provable as true or false. This ruling is significant for how media outlets are rated and the implications for defamation claims against rating organizations. Consortium News has expressed disappointment over the ruling, arguing it undermines accountability in media evaluation.