Prof. Jane Kirtley Quoted in Star Tribune About Lawsuit Against Alpha News Reporter

Professor Jane Kirtley, Silha Professor of Media Ethics and Law, was quoted in the Star Tribune about the lawsuit of Minneapolis Police Assistant Chief of Operations Katie Blackwell against Alpha News reporter Liz Collin. When the state of Minnesota was presenting its case against Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd, prosecutors called on Katie Blackwell to serve as an expert witness. She was on the witness stand for 38 minutes. About 30 seconds of that testimony was used in the popular and controversial documentary, “The Fall of Minneapolis.” How her testimony was presented and edited in that scene, and how it was depicted in a book the film is based on, led Blackwell to file a defamation lawsuit. Prof. Kirtley said there is a high bar in proving defamation and that people considered to be public figures are asked to prove “actual malice,” which is a different legal standard than simple ill will. “It’s a legal term of art which means you knew what you published was not true or you acted recklessly in publishing,” Kirtley said. “That’s a very high standard.”