Turning Point USA

Kyle Rittenhouse was found not guilty on all charges in his trial regarding that fateful night in Kenosha, Wisconsin. If you watched or read the mainstream media reports, you were fed straight-up lies. You would have likely thought those who were shot were black because the media kept calling Kyle a white supremacist. When in fact, all three men were white. You would have thought these men were priests, saints, or godly characters by the way they were portrayed on social media platforms and in news outlets. The media has called them everything from heroes to civil rights leaders and compared them to Martin Luther King, Jr. Additionally, all three men were convicted felons, one, who shall remain nameless, was even a convicted pedophile—the terrifyingly awful allegations include that he anally raped at least one young boy. 

Yet, Kyle is the individual being slaughtered by the mainstream media. MSNBC host Tiffany Cross recently called Kyle a “little murderous white supremacist” just one day after he was found not guilty by a Wisconsin jury. There have been several comments like this made by national news outlets. Lies are one thing; defamation is another. This is defamation, more specifically slander. Kyle should sue them all, and he will absolutely win.

So, what is defamation? Defamation is a spoken (slander) or written (libel) statement that damages a person’s reputation. Defamation is a tort also called a civil wrong, meaning that one does not go to jail for a defamatory comment. Rather, they are sued civilly for monetary damages. The person suing for defamation is called the plaintiff. The plaintiff has the burden of proving defamation. When you are a well-known person, politician, or celebrity like Kyle Rittenhouse, your burden of proof is higher.

Kyle Rittenhouse would therefore have to prove what is known as New York Times’ “actual malice.” The standard comes from a unanimous Supreme Court case called New York Times Co. v. Sullivan (1964). Here, the court held that public officials can only recover damages for defamation when they prove that the statement was made with actual malice. This means that first, the statement was made with knowledge that it was false, OR second, it was made with reckless regard for whether it was false or not.  

Under this definition, Kyle would make an excellent plaintiff and likely be awarded significant damages for the horrible statements spoken and published to defame him. Let’s pray that Lady Justice is fair and Kyle Rittenhouse gets what he deserves; financial compensation from a toxic, morally bankrupt mainstream media.