Kai Spears, an 18-year-old walk-on freshman at the University of Alabama, sued the New York Times in May 2023 after the paper published a false report placing him at a fatal campus shooting. Reporter Billy Witz had cited an anonymous source in a March 2023 article to name Spears as a passenger in teammate Brandon Miller's car at the scene of a January 2023 Tuscaloosa shooting that killed 23-year-old Jamea Harris. The actual passenger was Cooper Lee, the team's student manager. Spears was blocks away. The Times issued a correction in June 2023. On August 20, 2026, after a nine-day federal trial, a jury awarded Spears $9.25 million — the Times' first defamation loss in over 50 years.

1. The NYT violated its own standards (Kai Spears, attorney Matt Glover)

The Times named a private teenager at a murder scene using a single source it couldn't verify before publication — and its own policy forbids exactly that.

One anonymous source went to voicemail. The story ran anyway. Witz's case rested on Source A, described as a "high-level person, professional," who during a morning meeting scrolled through the team roster and pointed to Spears' photo. A second source that day added only: "I can tell you it's a white guy on the basketball team." When Witz tried to call Source A for confirmation before publication, he reached voicemail — and published anyway.

The Times' own policy calls anonymous sources a "last resort." Witz cited both the Times' standards and the SPJ ethics code from the witness stand. Spears' attorneys argued the paper didn't follow its own rules: a single source met the morning of publication, no corroboration, no on-the-record confirmation from any party.

The correction came after the lawsuit, not before. The Times' editor's note ran June 2, 2023 — after Spears had already filed suit in May. Attorney Matt Glover told the jury: "They were chasing a headline at the expense of a child."

2. But the verdict chills journalism (The New York Times, attorney Michael L. Bell)

Honest mistakes happen under deadline pressure, and a $9.25 million verdict for one could silence the confidential sources newsrooms rely on most.

Diligent reporters make mistakes. Witz consulted his editor 17 times for 143 minutes on publication day. He testified without evasion and apologized to Spears from the witness stand. Defense attorney Bell told the jury: "Billy Witz is not a villain."

Anonymous sources make accountability journalism possible. Whistleblower tips, corruption exposés, and government misconduct investigations often depend entirely on confidential sources. The Times argued that a $9.25M verdict for a good-faith error creates a chilling effect on exactly that reporting. The paper called the judgment "contrary to law and not supported by the evidence" and said it is reviewing its legal options.

The scholarship and the tournament appearances are part of the defense's case. Bell argued that Spears' continued career, his full scholarship, and his NCAA Tournament appearances undercut the $9.25 million harm claim. The jury had heard a request for $15 million from Spears' attorneys.

Where This Lands

The court classified Spears as a private figure, so the Times only needed to be negligent to lose — not deliberately deceptive. The Alabama Supreme Court had already narrowed reporter shield protections in this case. It ruled that journalists can't withhold all discovery that might reveal a confidential source. For Spears and his attorneys, the verdict sends the right signal: a correction issued after a lawsuit isn't enough. Private individuals named at murder scenes deserve more than a single unverified tip. For the Times and press freedom advocates, a $9.25 million judgment for an honest mistake under deadline is a warning aimed at exactly the accountability reporting newsrooms depend on. The Times says it is reviewing its legal options.

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