The conservative media company Salem Media Group has issued an apology to a Georgia man falsely portrayed as committing election fraud in the film “2,000 Mules,” co-produced and released by Salem in 2022.
The documentary, created by right-wing commentator Dinesh D’Souza, alleged that Democrats collaborated with nonprofit organizations to manipulate the 2020 election in favor of President Biden by employing “mules” to stuff ballot boxes in swing states.
“2,000 Mules” garnered over $10 million in revenue with more than a million viewers within the first two weeks of its May 2022 release. The baseless accusations in the film became widely believed by many Americans convinced that the election was stolen. Salem later released a companion book to the film.
The film featured surveillance footage of Mark Andrews, a man from Georgia, depositing ballots into a drop box near Atlanta. D’Souza’s voice-over labeled this act as a crime and referred to the ballots as fraudulent votes. Although Andrews’ face was blurred in the film, unblurred versions of the video were used for promotion on various conservative news outlets.
Andrews filed a defamation lawsuit against D’Souza, Salem, and two individuals associated with True the Vote in October 2022. Investigations in Georgia confirmed that Andrews had committed no crime and had lawfully submitted the ballots for himself and his family.
Salem issued a statement expressing regret for the distress caused to Andrews and his family by including his image in the movie, book, and promotional materials. The company announced the removal of “2,000 Mules” from its platforms and the discontinuation of distribution for both the film and the book.
Despite admissions from some individuals and institutions, many Americans still believe that the 2020 election was rigged. A CNN poll conducted in August indicated that over two-thirds of Republican voters doubted the fairness of President Biden’s victory.
The claims made in “2,000 Mules” were based on cellphone location data provided by True the Vote, alleging ballot mules engaging in fraudulent activities. However, subsequent investigations have debunked these claims, leading to legal actions against True the Vote.
A federal judge in Georgia rejected attempts to dismiss Andrews’ defamation case in September, with the case currently pending. Salem Media Group, a major radio broadcaster in the U.S., has taken steps to address the situation and issued an apology to Mark Andrews and his family.
Source link
