CNN Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour tweeted Tuesday that the city would sue Fox News:
BREAKING: Paris is going to sue @FoxNews after image of Paris was “insulted” and “prejudiced,” Mayor @Anne_Hidalgo tells me.
— Christiane Amanpour (@camanpour) January 20, 2015
Fox News previously issued multiple apologies for segments on shows that described so-called Muslim “no-go” zones. One Fox News guest described these zones as places where “Sharia courts are set up, where Muslim density is very intense, where police don’t go in,” characterizations that Fox News apologized for, according to Erik Wemple.
When pressed by Amanpour, Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo made clear that the city singled out Fox News for litigation, Mediaite’s Josh Feldman reports.
From Paris:
AMANPOUR: Can you clarify, which exact network you’re going to take to court and sue?
HIDALGO: “Fox News, that’s the name.”
— Ram Ramgopal (@RamCNN) January 20, 2015
Paris mayor to @camanpour: "The image of Paris has been prejudiced, and the honor of Paris has been prejudiced."
— Ram Ramgopal (@RamCNN) January 20, 2015
Here’s the video of Hidalgo talking to Amanpour:
It’s unlikely that Paris will be successful in its suit for a couple of reasons, said Anthony L. Fargo, an international press freedom expert and director of the Center for International Media Law and Policy Studies. First, it’s unclear whether French courts have any jurisdiction over Fox News, an American news network. Second, it’s unlikely the case would be successful in the United States because governmental bodies — like cities — can’t sue for defamation.
“So it sounds like a symbolic gesture to me, if I had to guess,” Fargo said.
The idea of a lawsuit like the one France is proposing being successful in the U.S. is “absurd,” said Gregg Leslie, legal defense director for Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press.
“I have no idea how it would fare in the French court, but this is exactly the kind of thing the First Amendment is designed to protect against,” Leslie said.
Michael Clemente, executive vice president of news at Fox News, issued the following statement:
We empathize with the citizens of France as they go through a healing process and return to everyday life. However, we find the Mayor’s comments regarding a lawsuit misplaced.
