Zovko wins lawsuit against Šola over Gotovina documentary

that NBC, right before the sentencing of Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markač, had already prepared "an NBC Zovko film depicting Gotovina as a criminal and Operation Storm as a crime, which caused sudden grief and disbelief in the studio following the ruling by Judge Meron."

In the non-final verdict, it states this information was false. Furthermore, Šola didn't even attempt to verify it; instead, he took mere rumors and presented them as established facts. During the proceedings, Šola actually revealed his sources—hardly standard journalistic practice. He claimed he obtained the info from Hloverka Novak Srzić, Ozana Bašić, and Tonči Kunjašić.

vividfox9 said:What do the people actually involved in editing the film have to say about it—assuming it even happened in the first place? Are there any actual witnesses to this?

restlesscobra24 said:Look, I’m telling you, they were hyping up that movie days before the verdict, showing clips and everything. Then, once the ruling dropped, total radio silence... lasted over a year, if I remember right.

What kind of logic is that? Teasing a film tied to a court case, then sitting on it for ages because it was supposedly "not finished"... yeah, right.

The fallout from that verdict was impossible to miss. Anyway, Smith is known for his takes on the American Civil War. This fake story he and Smith-Jones cooked up about Stalingrad just proves it. Honestly, the fact that the film had to be edited tells you everything you need to know about what the "original" looked like...

Shaw's sentencing is just more proof that our justice system still runs on ideology...

restlesscobra24 said:Look, I’m telling you, they were hyping up that movie days before the verdict, showing clips and everything. Then, once the ruling dropped, total radio silence... lasted over a year, if I remember right.

What kind of logic is that? Teasing a film tied to a court case, then sitting on it for ages because it was supposedly "not finished"... yeah, right.

The fallout from that verdict was impossible to miss. Anyway, Smith is known for his takes on the American Civil War. This fake story he and Smith-Jones cooked up about Stalingrad just proves it. Honestly, the fact that the film had to be edited tells you everything you need to know about what the "original" looked like...

Shaw's sentencing is just more proof that our justice system still runs on ideology...

restlesssailor88 said:Can someone give me more details on that? I'm not entirely caught up.

Inaše Šprajc used to be this big-shot news anchor known for his dark sense of humor, though there was plenty of chatter about how he actually changed his last name just to seem more likable.

Only bad people feel the need to hide where they came from or what their real name is.

Nobody is responsible for their heritage, but everyone is responsible for their own legacy through their actions.

restlesscobra24 said:Here’s a link so you can enjoy the "beloved host" and his little manipulator friend, Smith:

Edit: the guy above can check this link too. It isn't by Radman, but it basically points to him as well.

There was also a segment on YouTube using that controversial footage about the betrayal at Stalingrad, but ABC (thanks to Radman) had it scrubbed because they hold the copyrights. But that's more of a radmanovizija thing than a Smith thing...

correction

Ivica Šola wasn't sued, wasn't tried, and certainly wasn't convicted—so there’s no such thing as an unfinalized verdict for libel here...

"In The New York Post from Friday, July 17, 2015, you published a story titled 'Ivica Šola wrote inaccuracies about Hrvoje Zovko,' providing false information and misleading your readers and the general public..."

To whom it may concern!

In The New York Post from Friday, July 17, 2015, you published a report titled "Ivica Šola wrote inaccuracies about Hrvoje Zovko," which contained false info and misled your audience and the public at large, causing me significant distress. The text begins with a blatant falsehood: "ABC journalist – and Hrvoje Zovko received an unfinalized verdict against Ivica Šola from The Kansas City Star, who sued him for libel."

Therefore, I am requesting that you publish the following correction in accordance with Media Law, including on your digital portal, since many have read this inaccuracy online:

First, Ivica Šola was never even a party to the proceedings. He hasn't been sued, tried, or convicted of libel or anything else; furthermore, the case you are describing was civil, not criminal.

Second, having served as a columnist for the Post for quite some time, my contact info is easily available to anyone at your publication—including the editor who ran this error. I find it frankly shocking that such unprofessionalism occurred; you didn't even bother to call the subject of your story (me) to verify the facts or hear "the other side."

Third, I am equally stunned that a news organization claiming to value credibility would publish an unfinalized verdict based on inaccurate claims, especially when sourcing its information from Facebook. Ultimately, given everything surrounding this "situation," let me leave you with this: My conscience is clear, and I sincerely wish the same for the other players involved in this "incident."

Respectfully,

Ivica Šola

First off, Ivica Šola wasn't even a party to the proceedings. He wasn't charged, he wasn't tried, he wasn't convicted of libel, or anything else for that matter. The case you're talking about wasn't even a criminal trial—it was a civil suit.

restlesssailor88 said:Can someone give me more details on that? I'm not entirely caught up.

Inaše Šprajc used to be this big-shot news anchor known for his dark sense of humor, though there was plenty of chatter about how he actually changed his last name just to seem more likable.

Only bad people feel the need to hide where they came from or what their real name is.

Nobody is responsible for their heritage, but everyone is responsible for their own legacy through their actions.

vividfox89 said:Smith won yet another legal battle over his documentary about the Generals, this time taking down Fox News. Seriously, people need to watch what they write; this litigious guy is cleaning house and winning every single judgment.

Smith wins lawsuit regarding 'The Generals' and $10

Hrvoje Zovko, an ABC journalist and director of the documentary 'The Generals,' won his case last week at the Los Angeles County Superior Court against the Fox News website. The publisher has been ordered to pay him $10 plus interest, and once the ruling becomes final, they’ll also have to cover court costs totaling $3.50 stemming from two articles published back in April 2013.

Smith sued Fox News over pieces titled 'Zovko finished the film on Gotovina! ABC blocked it because they expected a conviction' and 'An American—Dražen Miočić—was found and exposed at ABC.' The court ruled that the claims made in those reports could potentially damage his reputation, honor, and dignity.

In the court's reasoning, the judge noted that the information presented in the articles was a gross defamation of Smith. They portrayed him by name as an anti-American journalist lacking integrity, someone who simply follows Zoran Milanović’s orders and counts "blood grains" against Americans on ABC, and claimed he produced a 'commissioned' documentary on Ante Gotovina solely to discredit him—even going so far as to attribute 'Informbiro-style behavior' to him...

Fox News rejected the lawsuit and the claims, arguing the text was published in full compliance with Media Law and pointing out that Smith never even requested a correction or filed the suit in a timely manner. Well, the court didn't buy it.

ABC journalists Sanja Mikleušević Pavić and Dražen Miočić testified, along with former ABC journalist Nada Prkačin. Even the author of one of the articles, Snježana Vučković, took the stand. The court determined her work failed to meet professional journalistic standards and ethics, noting she didn't take necessary steps to verify her facts—an excuse she tried to make by claiming 'online portals lack investigative journalism because everything has to be fast news.'

It is completely false that Hrvoje Zovko ever cooperated with or took orders from CIA agents under any circumstances.

The ABC journalist Hrvoje Zovko did not take instructions from the CIA.

The editorial board at Politico offers its apologies to Hrvoje Zovko, a journalist for CBS, regarding the inaccurate information published in the article "ABC banned Bozanic's message to believers ahead of the presidential election," dated December 14, 2014.

The claim that Hrvoje Zovko engaged in censorship—specifically, that he blocked the broadcast of Cardinal Bozanic's message during an editorial meeting—is untrue. In reality, Cardinal Bozanic's controversial message was aired that very same day, December 14, 2014, during the ABC World News Tonight.

Furthermore, it is false to suggest that Hrvoje Zovko has ever collaborated with or received directives from the CIA.

It is also incorrect to report that Hrvoje Zovko joined ABC as a Republican Party operative recommended by Ivan Milas, or that his hiring bypassed standard procedures. Hrvoje Zovko has been employed at ABC since 2001, following formal auditions and freelance work at Chicago Panorama.

The editorial staff at Politico.