CNN journalist deposed in Nexstar lawsuit, questioned about emails

CNN journalist Liam Reilly was subpoenaed in May 2025 to testify as part of a defamation lawsuit filed against Nexstar Media Group by two former news directors at WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He sat for a deposition on July 14.

Reilly’s deposition was limited to questioning about 2023 emails he exchanged with Nexstar’s chief communications officer, Gary Weitman, after internal fallout from a newsroom memo about Pride Month coverage.

Reilly confirmed under oath that he recognized the emails bearing his signature and that he sent them as part of his reporting duties at CNN, according to a deposition transcript filed in federal court in Michigan. Neither Reilly nor CNN is a party to the lawsuit.

Last year, the Nexstar news executives, Stanton Tang and Amy Fox, filed related lawsuits after being fired over an internal memo — written by Fox at Tang’s direction — that urged reporters to limit Pride Month coverage and present “both sides” on LGBTQ+ issues, citing the station’s conservative audience.

Tang and Fox allege they were scapegoated by Nexstar, which later issued a public apology for the memo and said it did not reflect the company’s values.

Attorneys for Nexstar filed a motion for a summary judgment on Aug. 22, asking the court to dismiss Tang and Fox’s claims without proceeding to trial.

Neither Reilly nor his attorney, Katherine Bolger, responded to a U.S. Press Freedom Tracker request for comment.