Arthur Kent, the Canadian reporter who rose to world-wide fame when he was branded the “Scud Stud” while an NBC reporter during the Persian Gulf War in the early 1990s, has won an eight-year defamation lawsuit against the Postmedia newspaper chain and one of its former columnists.
Kent launched his lawsuit after Don Martin, then a columnist for the National Post newspaper and currently a television host for the Canadian Television Network, referred to Kent as the “Scud Dud” in 2008.
The column also described Kent as having an oversized ego and an unorganized and incompetent campaign
At the time, Kent was running for a Progressive Conservative seat in Alberta’s legislature. His party party won a majority. Kent did not win his seat.
On Wednesday, an Alberta judge awarded Kent $200,000 in damages, saying that his reputation had been damaged by exaggerations and the sarcastic tone of the column.
The judge also found that Martin should have given Kent the opportunity to respond to the article
“I’m feeling a measure of vindication,” Kent said Wednesday. “Truth still matters in journalism–and isn’t that good news.”
Postmedia said it is reviewing the decision.
Kent is the brother of Peter Kent, a former federal minister of the environment.
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