Former war correspondent Arthur Kent won a defamation lawsuit against Postmedia and one of its former columnists on Wednesday.
Kent became known as the ‘Scud Stud’ while reporting on the Persian Gulf War and launched a lawsuit against the media company and former columnist Don Martin eight years ago over a column that called him ‘Dud Scud’.
On Wednesday, Justice Jo'Anne Strekaf ruled that Postmedia and Martin defamed Kent while he was running for a seat in the Alberta Legislature in 2008 and said the article "when read as a whole would cause right-thinking members of society to think less of Mr. Kent."
The judge said the damage to Kent's reputation was "exacerbated by the exaggerations and sarcastic tone in the article, by aspects of Mr. Martin's conduct and by the unfairness to Mr. Kent from Mr. Martin's failure to provide him with an opportunity to respond prior to publication of the article."
"While the article did not accuse Mr. Kent of any illegal or immoral acts, it characterized him as an egotistical, politically naive, arrogant candidate whose campaign was in disarray," she wrote.
Kent was awarded a total of $200,000 in damages from the defendants; $150,000 from Martin and Postmedia for the article and an additional $50,000 from Postmedia for continuing to publish the article online.
He choked back tears after the ruling and said he feels a measure of vindication from the decision.
“This much is clear, truth still matters in journalism and isn't that good news. Truth, accuracy and balance matter on the Internet and ... no genuine journalist will be anything but reassured and encouraged by this court,” said Kent outside court.
The judge ordered the two sides to sort out a settlement for legal costs.
(With files from The Canadian Press)
