(Photo: X)
Minneapolis, MN — May 17, 2025
Two days after a Minnesota judge dismissed Assistant Chief Katie Blackwell’s defamation lawsuit against The Fall of Minneapolis creators, the narrative being peddled by Alpha News and Liz Collin is as misleading as ever. They are claiming a vindication that the court never granted, turning a procedural dismissal into a self-serving PR win.
A Legal Technicality, Not a Truth Test
The court, led by Judge Edward T. Wahl, dismissed the case under Minnesota’s Uniform Public Expression Protection Act (UPEPA), an anti-SLAPP law meant to prevent lawsuits from chilling speech on public issues. The ruling does not confirm that Alpha News’ claims about Blackwell were true. In fact, the judge explicitly noted the court “neither finds nor implies that any of Blackwell’s testimony in the Chauvin trial was false, improper, or misleading.”
Alpha News’ messaging to its audience ignores this distinction. They loudly claim the dismissal validates their portrayal of Blackwell, when in reality, it only confirms that the plaintiff failed to meet the high legal bar for defamation — not that Alpha News’ reporting was accurate or ethical.
Liz Collin and the Spin Machine
Liz Collin, who positioned herself as a defender of Chauvin’s narrative, has been central to this misrepresentation. From her reporting on crime to her work with The Fall of Minneapolis, Collin has consistently amplified Chauvin’s defenders while framing a decorated public servant and veteran like Blackwell as dishonest. This dismissal is now being wielded as a shield for mischaracterizations that were ethically questionable, if not outright misleading.
Why This Matters
Millions of viewers have watched The Fall of Minneapolis, and many now believe it offers a truthful counter-narrative to Floyd’s murder trial. But a dismissal on procedural grounds does not equal factual accuracy. Alpha News’ audience is being misled: the court didn’t validate their claims — it merely said that under U.S. defamation law, their speech was protected in this instance.
This is a crucial lesson in media literacy: legal outcomes and journalistic truth are not the same thing. Spin can be amplified, narratives can dominate, and public perception can be distorted — even without a single court confirming the story is true.
Call to Action
Procedural wins cannot whitewash ethical failures. The Alpha News team and Liz Collin may celebrate their dismissal, but the public must recognize the difference between legal protection and moral accuracy. Reporting must be scrutinized, especially when it weaponizes half-truths to defend a convicted murderer and smear those who stood up for justice.
Katie Blackwell’s testimony remains on record, untainted by the court’s dismissal, while Alpha News continues to profit from distortion. This is another reminder: defending the truth takes vigilance, especially when media outlets prioritize clicks, influence, and ideology over facts.