Sandy Hook families threaten legal action against NBC News over Megyn Kelly’s interview with Alex Jones
Jones is known for saying the December 14, 2012, shooting, which killed 26 people including 20 schoolchildren, was staged in order to promote tougher gun control laws
Several of the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting have threatened legal action against NBC if it airs Megyn Kelly’s interview with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who has called the 2012 massacre a hoax.
In a letter to NBC News executives obtained by the Los Angeles Times, a law firm representing
the families says the network is inflicting harm on them by presenting the views of Jones, a right-wing internet radio host and founder of the website Infowars, even though the network knows they are false.
The legal threat is the latest headache in what has become a public relations fiasco for NBC, which is trying to launch Kelly as its newest star after poaching her from Fox News Channel.
Meanwhile, Jones is promising to further complicate matters by posting his own recording of the interview on Infowars. NBC News has not commented on the letter or Jones’ claim that he will air the interview on his site.
“Airing Kelly’s interview implicitly endorses the notion that Jones’ lies are actually ‘claims’ that are worthy of serious debate; and in doing so it exponentially enhances the suffering and distress of our clients,” said the letter from Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder, which was sent to executives at the network. Kelly and NBC have been under fire from critics and the Sandy Hook families ever since a tightly edited teaser of the interview aired on Sunday Night With Megyn Kelly this week.
“The tease got them in trouble – that’s always been the way,” said Chris Cuomo, a co-anchor of CNN’s New Day and a veteran of network news shows.
