The day after The New York Times ran with one of the most sickening editorials in recent memory – a repulsive stew of lies directed at former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin – Palin fired back on Facebook.
Sarah Palin calls @nytimes editorial “sickening” pic.twitter.com/ho0C6W21Qw
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) June 15, 2017
Palin may actually have a case for libel against The New York Times. The standard for libel is quite high in the United States – the plaintiff must prove actual malice if she is a public figure – but Palin might be able to reach it. That’s because the Times outright lied about her, blaming her for the attempted assassination of Gabby Giffords. The Times even suggested that there was stronger evidence linking Palin to assassin Jared Lee Loughner than there was evidence of leftist incitement leading to the attempted Congressional assassination.
This isn’t the first time the Times has attempted to misdirect to supposed right-wing incitement in the face of all the evidence. In 2016, the Times wrote an entire editorial blaming Christians for a radical Muslim shooting up a gay nightclub in Orlando:
While the precise motivation for the rampage remains unclear, it is evident that Mr. Mateen was driven by hatred toward gays and lesbians. Hate crimes don’t happen in a vacuum. They occur where bigotry is allowed to fester, where minorities are vilified and where people are scapegoated for political gain. Tragically, this is the state of American politics, driven too often by Republican politicians who see prejudice as something to exploit, not extinguish.
This sort of insanity must stop. And if it takes a well-aimed lawsuit from Palin to do it, she should – particularly since the Times issued a correction this morning acknowledging they have no proof linking Palin to Giffords.
New York Times issues correction to editorial pic.twitter.com/pxNYL3ftGM
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) June 15, 2017
