{"id":311631,"date":"2026-04-23T16:18:06","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T20:18:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?prc_email_campaign=kash-patel-sues-the-atlantic-for-defamation"},"modified":"2026-06-08T12:13:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T16:13:22","slug":"kash-patel-sues-the-atlantic-for-defamation","status":"publish","type":"prc_email_campaign","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/newsletter\/the-briefing\/kash-patel-sues-the-atlantic-for-defamation\/","title":{"rendered":"Kash Patel sues The Atlantic for defamation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u2600\ufe0f Happy Thursday!<\/strong>\u00a0<em>The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information<\/em>.<em> <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/sign-up-for-the-briefing\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/sign-up-for-the-briefing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Sign up here!<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>In today<em>\u2019<\/em>s email:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n<li><strong>Featured story:<\/strong> Kash Patel files defamation suit against The Atlantic<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>New from Pew Research Center:<\/strong> The types of news content Americans seek out or happen to come across<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>In other news:<\/strong> Federal judge pauses Nexstar-Tegna merger until antitrust trial<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Looking ahead:<\/strong> Trump to attend WHCA dinner<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Chart of the week:<\/strong> Seeking out versus coming across news, by age<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udd25\u00a0<strong>Featured story<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>FBI Director Kash Patel<\/strong> filed a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/04\/20\/media\/kash-patel-fbi-atlantic-lawsuit-sarah-fitzpatrick\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">defamation lawsuit<\/a> against <strong>The Atlantic<\/strong> and reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick earlier this week, seeking $250 million in damages. The magazine published an article by Fitzpatrick about Patel&#8217;s job performance, including allegations that he regularly engages in excessive drinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a separate incident, <strong>The New York Times<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/04\/22\/us\/politics\/fbi-times-reporter.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported that the FBI investigated<\/a> one of its reporters after she wrote an article about Patel&#8217;s girlfriend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most Americans say that the people they get news from definitely (41%) or probably (31%) should <strong>keep an eye on powerful people<\/strong> in their daily work, a <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2025\/08\/20\/what-do-americans-want-from-their-news-providers\/#what-roles-do-americans-expect-their-news-providers-to-fulfill\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2025 Pew Research Center survey<\/a> found. However, there is skepticism \u2013 especially among Republicans \u2013 that journalists <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2025\/08\/20\/how-americans-view-journalists-and-their-role-in-society\/#public-confidence-in-journalists\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">act in the best interests of the public<\/a>: 45% of U.S. adults say they have at least a fair amount of confidence in journalists to do this, and that figure falls to 27% among Republicans and GOP leaners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Read more about how many Americans get news from and trust <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/feature\/news-media-tracker\/the_atlantic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Atlantic<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/feature\/news-media-tracker\/the_new_york_times\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The New York Times<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udea8 <strong>New from Pew Research Center<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This week, we released a <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2026\/04\/20\/what-types-of-news-do-americans-seek-out-or-happen-to-come-across\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">new analysis<\/a> from the Pew-Knight Initiative looking at the <strong>types of news that Americans seek out versus those they happen to come across.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A growing share of U.S. adults say they mostly <strong>get news because they happen to come across it,<\/strong> but this varies depending on the type of news. The content that most people say they get by chance tends to be reactions to news: <strong>humor<\/strong> and <strong>opinions.<\/strong> Meanwhile, Americans are more likely to seek out <strong>in-depth information or deep dives,<\/strong> as well <strong>as up-to-date information<\/strong> about an issue or event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udccc\u00a0<strong>In other news<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/04\/17\/nx-s1-5789059\/judge-halts-nexstar-tegna-merger-lawsuits\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Federal judge pauses<\/a> <strong>Nexstar-Tegna<\/strong> merger until antitrust trial<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Warner Bros. Discovery <\/strong>shareholders <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/04\/23\/warner-bros-discovery-approve-paramount-skydance-deal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">vote in favor<\/a> of <strong>Paramount <\/strong>merger<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>NOTUS <\/strong>to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/04\/16\/business\/media\/notus-news-to-become-the-star.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rebrand<\/a> as The Star<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>The Onion<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/04\/20\/media\/the-onion-alex-jones-infowars-tim-heidecker\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reaches agreement<\/a> to take control of <strong>InfoWars<\/strong>, pending court approval<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Journalist<strong> Amal Khalil<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c5yvn036evlo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">killed in Israeli air strike<\/a> in Lebanon<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>McClatchy <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/media-platforms\/journalism\/mcclatchy-content-scaling-agents-roiling-newsrooms\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">faces backlash<\/a> over AI news tool&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Joe Rogan <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/conormurray\/2026\/04\/18\/joe-rogan-iran-war-critic-joins-trump-at-white-house-as-he-loosens-restrictions-on-psychedelics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">visits Trump in the White House<\/a><strong> <\/strong>amid criticism of<strong> Iran War<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n<li>An inside look at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/technology\/2026\/04\/20\/nick-fuentes-stream-donors-funding\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">donation network<\/a> of <strong>far-right influencer Nick Fuentes<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Crooked Media <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/04\/22\/crooked-media-tv-fast-channel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">breaking into TV<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cjr.org\/feature\/ai-data-centers-local-news-deserts-meta-openai-texas-new-mexico.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The relationship<\/a> between <strong>AI data centers<\/strong> and <strong>local news<\/strong><\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udcc5\u00a0<strong>Looking ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>President Donald Trump<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/04\/20\/business\/media\/white-house-correspondents-dinner-trump.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">will attend and speak at<\/a> this weekend\u2019s <strong>White House Correspondents\u2019 Association dinner <\/strong>for the first time while in office. Given the strained relationship between Trump and the press, hundreds of journalists <a href=\"https:\/\/messagetowhca.tiiny.site\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">signed a letter<\/a> urging the organizers to speak out in support of press freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2025\/03\/31\/most-americans-say-they-are-tuned-in-to-news-about-the-trump-administration\/#views-on-the-trump-administration-s-relationship-with-the-news-media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">survey conducted early last year<\/a>, <strong>a majority of U.S. adults (64%) said the Trump administration and the U.S. news media have a very or somewhat bad relationship, <\/strong>compared with just 11% who said the relationship is good. Republicans and Democrats largely agreed in these assessments, although they differed sharply on whether the Trump administration has been too critical of the media, or vice versa.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udcca\u00a0<strong>Chart of the week<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This week\u2019s chart comes from the Center\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2026\/04\/20\/what-types-of-news-do-americans-seek-out-or-happen-to-come-across\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">new analysis<\/a> of the <strong>types of news Americans seek out or happen to come across,<\/strong> looking at differences by age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In general, younger adults are much more likely than older people to get news because <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2026\/02\/11\/the-age-divide-in-how-americans-think-about-news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">they happen to come across it<\/a>. For example, <strong>52% of adults ages 18 to 29 say they mostly get up-to-date information about an issue or event by chance,<\/strong> compared with 28% of adults 65 and older.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"ece5dd\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #ece5dd;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/younger_adults_are_more_likely_than_older_ones_to_say_they_come_across_most_types_of_news_by_chance.png?resize=480,776 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/younger_adults_are_more_likely_than_older_ones_to_say_they_come_across_most_types_of_news_by_chance.png?resize=782,1264 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/younger_adults_are_more_likely_than_older_ones_to_say_they_come_across_most_types_of_news_by_chance.png?resize=840,1358 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"1035\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/younger_adults_are_more_likely_than_older_ones_to_say_they_come_across_most_types_of_news_by_chance.png?w=640\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-300631 not-transparent\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\ud83d\udc4b That&#8217;s all for this week.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Briefing is compiled by Pew Research Center staff, including Naomi Forman-Katz, Christopher St. Aubin, Joanne Haner, and Sawyer Reed. It is edited by Michael Lipka and copy edited by David Kent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Do you like this newsletter? Email us at\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:journalism@pewresearch.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">journalism@pewresearch.org<\/a> or fill out this <a href=\"https:\/\/us1.list-manage.com\/survey?u=434f5d1199912232d416897e4&amp;id=449f3c3d35&amp;attribution=false\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/us1.list-manage.com\/survey?u=434f5d1199912232d416897e4&amp;id=449f3c3d35&amp;attribution=false\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">two-question survey<\/a> to tell us what you think<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u2600\ufe0f Happy Thursday!\u00a0The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information. Sign up here! In today\u2019s email: \ud83d\udd25\u00a0Featured story FBI Director Kash Patel filed a defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic and reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick earlier this week, seeking $250 million in damages. The magazine published an article by Fitzpatrick about Patel&#8217;s job [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":5674,"template":"","meta":{"sub_headline":"","sub_title":"","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"wpai_generated_summary":"","prc_watchers":[],"footnotes":"","prc_email_subject":"Kash Patel sues The Atlantic for defamation","prc_email_preview_text":"A look at the types of news Americans come across or seek out, judge halts Nexstar-Tegna merger","prc_email_template_slug":"","prc_email_mailchimp_audience_id":"","prc_email_mailchimp_segment_id":"","prc_email_mailchimp_campaign_id":"","prc_email_mailchimp_campaign_admin_url":"","prc_email_mailchimp_campaign_status":"","prc_email_mailchimp_pending_send_at":"","prc_email_mailchimp_delayed_send_cancelled":""},"categories":[],"bylines":[],"prc_newsletter_list":[3083],"_post_visibility":[2643],"formats":[],"workflow-status":[],"class_list":["post-311631","prc_email_campaign","type-prc_email_campaign","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","_post_visibility-hidden-on-index"],"label":"Newsletter","post_parent":0,"word_count":700,"canonical_url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/newsletter\/the-briefing\/kash-patel-sues-the-atlantic-for-defamation\/","charts":[],"art_direction":{"A1":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=564&h=317&crop=1","width":564,"height":317,"chartArt":false},"A2":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=268&h=151&crop=1","width":268,"height":151,"chartArt":false},"A3":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=194&h=110&crop=1","width":194,"height":110,"chartArt":false},"A4":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=268&h=151&crop=1","width":268,"height":151,"chartArt":false},"XL":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=720&h=405&crop=1","width":720,"height":405,"chartArt":false},"social":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=1200&h=628&crop=1","width":1200,"height":628,"chartArt":false}},"_embeds":[],"prc_checklist":{},"watchChildPosts":false,"watchers":[],"table_of_contents":[],"datacite_doi":"","prc_seo_data":{"title":"Kash Patel sues The Atlantic for defamation","description":"\u2600\ufe0f Happy Thursday!\u00a0The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information. 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