Jury Rejects Sarah Palin's Libel Claim Against New York Times

NEW YORK A jury in New York has rejected Sarah Palin's libel claim against The New York Times, concluding that the newspaper was not liable for defamation. The lawsuit stemmed from a 2017 editorial that incorrectly connected Palin's political action committee to a mass shooting several years prior.

The editorial, published after a shooting at a congressional baseball practice, drew a link between the event and a map circulated by Palin's PAC that placed crosshairs over the districts of some Democratic members of Congress. The Times later corrected the editorial, acknowledging the error.

Palin argued that the editorial was published with actual malice, meaning the newspaper knew the statement was false or acted with reckless disregard for the truth. The jury, however, found that Palin's legal team did not meet the high burden of proof required in libel cases involving public figures. The verdict comes after a closely watched trial that raised questions about the standards of journalism and the potential for political rhetoric to incite violence. The New York Times defended its reporting, stating that it corrected the error promptly and that there was no evidence of malicious intent.