Update: Erik Prince’s lawsuit against The Intercept

Prince’s defamation suit against The Intercept has now been tossed out three times, but he’s filed notice of an appeal. This is the weaponization of libel law: billionaires using their deep pockets to chill journalism.




2023 has been a brutal year of job losses and shutdowns in the news media industry due to rising costs, declining social media traffic, and a growing trend of news avoidance by the public.

But here at The Intercept, we’ve faced an additional threat: a relentless defamation lawsuit pursued by Erik Prince, the billionaire founder of the private security firm formerly known as Blackwater.

Prince has lost in court again and again, but just last month, he filed an appeal to reverse the trial court decision that most recently tossed his case.

The rich and powerful pursue lawsuits like these and drain newsrooms of precious time and money. We’re counting on readers like you to help ensure we have the financial support to continue publishing unflinching investigative journalism.

Will you make a donation to help meet The Intercept’s crucial end-of-quarter fundraising goal of $400,000 by September 30?

The news media industry is facing the most difficult economic environment that we’ve ever seen. The first half of 2023 saw more job losses than all of 2022, and digital newsrooms in particular have been hit hard.

These broader challenges make news outlets especially vulnerable to big corporations and billionaires, who use libel lawsuits to silence unfavorable news coverage.

Lawsuits like this don’t have to be successful in court to have a chilling effect on journalism. By forcing news organizations to defend themselves, defamation lawsuits send a message loud and clear: Investigating the rich and powerful could come at a steep cost.

To make sure The Intercept remains financially strong enough to keep doing hard-hitting, adversarial journalism in the face of this kind of legal bullying, we’re aiming to raise $400,000 by the September 30 end-of-quarter deadline.

Will you make a donation of $5 today to help reach our end-of-quarter goal and power our nonprofit journalism? Every donation matters.

STAND WITH THE INTERCEPT →

Thank you,
The Intercept team

The Intercept’s fiscal sponsor is First Look Institute, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization (tax ID number 80-0951255).

The Intercept’s mailing address is:
P.O. Box 27442
Washington, DC 20038

The Intercept is an award-winning nonprofit news organization dedicated to holding the powerful accountable through fearless, adversarial journalism. Our in-depth investigations and unflinching analysis focus on surveillance, war, corruption, the environment, technology, criminal justice, the media and more. Email is an important way for us to communicate with The Intercept’s readers, but if you’d like to stop hearing from us, click here to unsubscribe from all communications. Protecting freedom of the press has never been more important. Contribute now to support our independent journalism.

Older messages

The Secrets DNA Keeps

Thursday, September 21, 2023

DNA evidence sent Anthony Sanchez to death row. But did it actually solve the crime? Most Read DNA Evidence Sent Anthony Sanchez to Death Row. But Did It Actually Solve the Crime? Liliana Segura A

We’re facing some major headwinds. Will you chip in $5?

Wednesday, September 20, 2023

Costs are up, and donations to nonprofits are down across the board. Social media giants like Facebook are deprioritizing news in their feeds. And a growing number of Americans are avoiding the news

Not everyone can afford to give $5 to The Intercept

Tuesday, September 19, 2023

To me, the most meaningful donations are the ones that come from readers who can only afford $5 or $10. These are the donations that stand out in my mind when I think about who we're serving here

A special message from our new CEO

Monday, September 18, 2023

We've beaten the odds because readers like you have flocked to courageous, in-depth reporting that breaks through the noise and challenges the status quo. Your generous support enables Intercept

Mahmoud Abbas Holocaust Controversy Spotlights Deep Disillusion With Palestinian Authority

Sunday, September 17, 2023

Thirty years after the Oslo Accords, Palestinians question whether the pseudo-government born from the peace process can — and should — survive. Most Read Companies Already Ban the Use of Their Drugs

You Might Also Like

AI chatbots keep failing every accuracy test thrown at them

Wednesday, March 12, 2025

PLUS: Why Substack's new subscriber milestone is so significant ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

Everything We’ve Written About That’s on Sale at Nordstrom

Wednesday, March 12, 2025

Plus: Actually cute plus-size maternity clothes. The Strategist Every product is independently selected by editors. If you buy something through our links, New York may earn an affiliate commission.

What A Day: Bad Car-ma

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Elon Musk's politics are sparking a major Tesla backlash, ironically thanks to Trump. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

Rohingya refugees just lost half of their food aid. Now what?

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

An interview with Free Rohingya Coalition what happened last week in Asia, Africa and the Americas Hey, this is Sham Jaff, a freelance journalist focused on Asia, Africa and the Americas and your very

Shayne Coplan’s Big Bet Is Paying Off

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

March 11, 2025 THE MONEY GAME Shayne Coplan's Big Bet Is Paying Off By Jen Wieczner Photo: Dina Litovsky At 6 am on Wednesday, November 13, eight FBI agents in black windbreakers burst through the

We need your input.

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Share your insights & receive a 70% off forever. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

We Talkin’ About Practice?

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Nobody Told Me There'd Be Days Like These ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

Seattle startup takes eco-friendly aim at recycling clothing 

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Read AI rolls out enterprise search tool | Hard time for hardware ADVERTISEMENT GeekWire SPONSOR MESSAGE: A limited number of table sponsorships are available at the 2025 GeekWire Awards: Secure your

☕ The beauty of it all

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

A conversation with Ulta Beauty's CMO. March 11, 2025 View Online | Sign Up Marketing Brew Presented By Iterable It's Tuesday. Count Kathy Hochul as an ad buyer. The governor of New York is

🤔 What’s in your wallet? A scam.

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Plus, a new streaming deal is the latest gift to Trump from the billionaire CEO and his company — which profits off government contracts. Forward this email to others so they can sign up 🔥 Today on