Yashar Ali Sues LA Magazine For Defamation Over Profile He Says Sent Him Into ‘Depression and Suicidal Ideation’
Journalist Yashar Ali is suing Los Angeles Magazine over a wild 2021 profile of him he claims was inaccurate and sent him into a period of “crippling depression and suicidal ideation.”
The publication profiled the influential tweeter and freelance journalist. Ali was described by LA Magazine’s Peter Kiefer as an influential man whose tweets could drive entire news cycles. Kiefer met with Ali twice over three months for the article.
Kiefer also portrayed Ali as a man who uses “suspect” reporting methods and wore out his welcome at Kathy Griffin‘s house. A portion of the profile reads:
Taking stock of Ali’s journalistic accomplishments is tricky. Many of his major scoops have held up… And yet, to many, there’s also something unsettling about his journalistic approach. In focusing on the overlapping worlds of media, politics, and the entertainment industry—where the stakes are extremely high and personal grudges abound—he relies heavily on anonymous sources, sometimes by the dozens.
…
Just days before this story went to press, and in the midst of fact-checking, he shared on Twitter that he was suffering from suicidal ideations. “Going to bed hoping to not wake up,” he wrote. His revelations about his suicidal thoughts continued for well over a week, prompting concern and warm words of support from thousands of people, including his eclectic mix of bold-faced friends.
Read some of the more stunning portions of the piece here.
The profile also detailed how Scientologists and a private investigator were after Ali. It went viral online, and Ali soon stopped tweeting frequently. He eventually returned to Twitter.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Ali is suing LA Magazine and its parent company Hour Media Group. He alleges the profile was inaccurate and it defamed him.
Ali told journalist Parker Molloy the piece was not properly fact-checked and was laden with inaccuracies.
“It lied about me turning on my friends in a callous, cold, and calculated way,” Ali said. “The profile contains many factual errors that don’t even require private records, they can be found via Google search. The profile was the biggest media and politics story for two days, trending on Twitter for both days. It was shared by a wide variety of powerful and influential people.”
Ali also alleged the piece “inaccurately described, as well as lied about, nearly all of my reporting which led people to unfairly question the quality and accuracy of my work.”
That sent him into what he called a “prolonged period of crippling depression and suicidal ideation.”
LA Magazine said in a statement to the Times it is unaware of Ali’s lawsuit, but it stands by Kiefer’s profile.
