Far-right Web site settles case stemming from Gore 2000 campaign

Site admits no proof exists in highly charged article published during 2000 campaign about Gore friend and fund-raiser

Email | Print By Ken Whitehouse

Conservative Web site WorldNetDaily has settled a legal case with a Tennessee businessman after admitting that work it published more than seven years ago is untrue. The amount of the settlement is not being disclosed.

The lawsuit was brought by Savannah, Tenn., businessman Clark Jones, a friend of and fund-raiser for former Vice President Al Gore. In articles leading up to the 2000 presidential election, WorldNetDaily, which claims to be an "independent news company dedicated to uncompromising journalism, seeking truth and justice and revitalizing the role of the free press as a guardian of liberty," alleged that Jones had intervened in a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation probe into narcotics trafficking in Hardin County in 1999.

The site also implicated Jones in the 1980 arson of his own business, the Jones Motor Company, and labeled him a suspected drug dealer.

The WorldNetDaily articles are lauded on the organization's site by Tennessean columnist and radio host Phil Valentine as being among the major influences that tipped Tennessee to Bush in the 2000 election.

An interesting side note: Jones was represented in the case by Covington, Tenn., attorney J. Houston Gordon. Gordon is a former commissioner overseeing the Tennessee Education Lottery Corp. and was one of the parties involved in last year's dispute over how members of the Tennessee Supreme Court are selected.

WorldNetDaily had claimed that the lawsuit brought by Jones was an attack on free speech, saying that "if what WorldNetDaily did is subject to judgment, investigative journalism will halt." The site had been using Jones' lawsuit to raise money online for its legal defense fund as recently as this past Tuesday.

But WorldNetDaily decided to settle with Jones on that very same day, dropping the entire matter and releasing a statement admitting that there was no evidence to support its published claims. Nor, says the statement, has anyone been willing to come forward and verify what the Web site had published.

Both sides of the legal matter agreed that the statement below will be the extent of their public comments and that they will not disclose the amount of the settlement.

A 7-year-old, $165 million defamation case against WND springing from a series of stories about then-presidential candidate Al Gore has been settled.

The terms of the out-of-court agreement with auto dealer Clark Jones are confidential. The settlement averts the need for a trial in Tennessee that was scheduled for next month.

Below is the text of the settlement statement jointly drafted by all parties in the lawsuit. Both sides agreed to limit comment on the lawsuit to this statement:

"A lawsuit for libel, defamation, false light and conspiracy was filed by Clark Jones of Savannah, Tennessee against WorldNetDaily.com, Tony Hays and Charles H. Thompson II arising out of a press release issued by WorldNetDaily.com on September 18, 2000, and articles dated September 20, October 8, November 24 and December 5, 2000, written by Tony Hays and Charles H. Thompson II, posted on WorldNetDaily.com's website.

"The original news release by WorldNetDaily.com of September 18, 2000, and the article by Hays and Thompson of September 20, 2000, contained statements attributed to named sources, which statements cast Clark Jones in a light which, if untrue, defamed him by asserting that the named persons said that he had interfered with a criminal investigation, had been a 'subject' of a criminal investigation, was listed on law enforcement computers as a 'dope dealer,' and implied that he had ties to others involved in alleged criminal activity. These statements were repeated in the subsequently written articles and funds solicitations posted on WorldNetDaily.com's website. Clark Jones emphatically denied the truth of these statements, denied any criminal activity and called upon the publisher and authors to retract them.

"Discovery has revealed to WorldNetDaily.com that no witness verifies the truth of what the witnesses are reported by authors to have stated. Additionally, no document has been discovered that provides any verification that the statements written were true.

"Factual discovery in the litigation and response from Freedom of Information Act requests to law enforcement agencies confirm Clark Jones' assertion that his name has never been on law enforcement computers, that he has not been the subject of any criminal investigation nor has he interfered with any investigation as stated in the articles. Discovery has also revealed that the sources named in the publications have stated under oath that statements attributed to them in the articles were either not made by them, were misquoted by the authors, were misconstrued, or the statements were taken out of context.

"WorldNetDaily.com and its editors never intended any harm to Clark Jones and regret whatever harm occurred. WorldNetDaily.com has no verified information by which to question Mr. Jones' honesty and integrity, and having met him, has no claim or reason to question his honesty and integrity. WorldNetDaily.com wishes him well."

Full disclosure: The author worked for Tennessee Democratic Victory 2000 during that year's election campaign.