Salem Media Group, a right-wing talk radio network owner, issued a public apology and announced that it would stop distributing a discredited 2020 election conspiracy theory film called “2000 Mules.” This decision came after a Georgia man, Mark Andrews, sued the company for defamation, claiming that the film contained false claims about the 2020 election that led to threats of violence against him and his family. The film, promoted by Donald Trump and widely circulated in right-wing media, damaged Andrews’ reputation.
In response to the lawsuit, Salem Media Group issued a public apology, stating that it was never their intention to harm Mr. Andrews by including his image in the film, book, and promotional materials. The company acknowledged the hurt caused to Andrews and his family and announced that they would be removing the film from their platforms and ceasing all future distribution of the film and book. This apology was part of a larger settlement reached in the lawsuit filed by Andrews, although the terms of the settlement were not disclosed by either party.
Salem Media Group, known for its national talk radio network featuring prominent pro-Trump personalities, operates over 2,700 affiliates and owns dozens of Christian-format radio stations as well as the right-wing political website Townhall. In the “2000 Mules” film, Andrews was shown on video with his face blurred depositing his ballot, along with those of his family, into a drop box, which the film claimed was part of a fraudulent voting operation. The film’s allegations have since been discredited by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which cleared Andrews of illegal voting activity.
Following the 2020 election, Trump and his media allies promoted false claims that the election had been stolen by Joe Biden. Polls have indicated that these lies were effective in convincing the majority of the Republican Party that Biden’s election was illegitimate. However, these election lies have led to legal consequences for media outlets that promoted them, with right-wing companies facing costly lawsuits. For example, One America News settled a lawsuit brought by Smartmatic, and Fox News settled a defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems. The settlement between Salem Media Group and Andrews is another example of the legal repercussions faced by media outlets for spreading false election claims.
