Ben Smith Says BuzzFeed Has “No Obligation” To Not Publish CEN Legal Response In Full

This BuzzFeed email thread shows the team discussing CEN’s legal response to BuzzFeed’s front-up questions shortly before publication of the CEN article, with Ben Smith saying BuzzFeed should go ahead and publish because it had “no obligation” to CEN. The document is significant because it records BuzzFeed’s awareness that CEN had provided a formal legal response to the allegations, while senior editorial leadership treated the issue as one of publication discretion rather than an obligation to present the response in full. The thread is also relevant because BuzzFeed notes that it had received statements from the Mail and Mirror, apparently with some amusement at the level of alarm the approaches had caused inside those organisations. It should be read alongside the front-up letter, right-to-reply, Press Gazette spoiler and final publication documents, because it helps document how BuzzFeed handled contrary responses from CEN and major publishers while deciding whether to proceed with a highly damaging article.

Source

Part of Central European News & Mike Leidig v BuzzFeed (US Second Circuit Libel Case) – BF Case Documents

Europe Media Published 1 May 2026 at 21:09 Source: 1 November 2016