One America News Network retracted an article that falsely claimed former President Donald Trump’s attorney Michael Cohen had an affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels. The article cited a post on X from a user who falsely claimed to have obtained information in 2018 from Daniels’ then-attorney, Michael Avenatti. The post alleged that Cohen and Daniels had been having an affair since 2006 and that Cohen was behind the hush money scheme to extort the Trump Organization before the 2016 election. OAN retracted the story, removed it from all sites, and apologized to Cohen as part of a settlement reached with him.
Donald Trump, who is facing 34 felony counts related to hush money paid to Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign, has denied any relationship with her. The trial began, with both Cohen and Daniels expected to testify. In response to the retracted allegations, Cohen vehemently denied them, calling them absurd and plain stupid. His attorney, Danya Perry, stated that the retraction was a vindication for her client, who has faced severe consequences for telling the truth.
Stormy Daniels also denied the allegations made in OAN’s retracted article. Avenatti, who is currently serving a prison sentence for a fraud scheme, denied making the claims, calling them completely fabricated, untrue, and bogus. The author of the post that formed the basis of the article, Tony Seruga, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. OAN included Avenatti’s denial in an update to its story on April 4.
The retraction by One America News Network comes after the network settled a defamation lawsuit out of court with voting machine company Smartmatic. Additionally, two years ago, the network settled a defamation lawsuit with a pair of Georgia election workers who accused the network of falsely claiming they committed ballot fraud during the 2020 presidential election. This retraction highlights the importance of fact-checking and verifying sources before publishing potentially defamatory information. It also underlines the legal consequences that news outlets may face if they spread false information. Overall, the retraction is a step towards rectifying the harm caused by the dissemination of misinformation.
