 |
|
|
Movie star Will Smith has won his lawsuit against London-based World Entertainment News Network (WENN). Last December, WENN has published a story titled "Smith: Hitler Was A Good Person."
The article was based on an interview given by the Oscar-nominated actor to the Daily Record, a Scottish newspaper and website. The Daily Record quoted Hollywood star Will Smith last week as saying the following during an interview: "Even Hitler didn't wake up going, ‘Let me do the most evil thing I can do today.’ I think he woke up in the morning and using a twisted, backwards logic, he set out to do what he thought was ‘good.’"
The quote in itself could be considered quite innocuous, save for the journalist’s preceding comment, which was: "Remarkably, Will believes everyone is basically good," implying that Smith considered Hitler to be a good person. The interview was picked up by WENN and from there it reached the mainstream media.
One day later, Will Smith issued a statement harshly criticizing the reporter who started the controversy, emphasizing his true feelings on the subject. "It is an awful and disgusting lie. It speaks to the dangerous power of an ignorant person with a pen. I am incensed and infuriated to have to respond to such ludicrous misinterpretation," Smith said at the time.
"Adolf Hitler was a vile, heinous, vicious killer responsible for one of the greatest acts of evil committed on this planet," he added.
Today, Smith's lawyer, Rachel Atkins has pleaded actor’s cause in front of London’s High Court. "The article alleged that the claimant had declared in an interview that Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler was a good person," she said. "The allegation is false and without any foundation."
WENN retracted the article and presented its apologies to Will Smith, but according to Rachel Atkins, "the correction and apology has not received any media attention."
In today’s lawsuit, WENN agreed to pay an undisclosed sum for damages and apologized to the actor "for any distress and embarrassment caused by this article." Will Smith intends to donate the money to charity.
© 2007 - 2008 - eFluxMedia