Washington Post adds editor’s note to Heard op-ed after verdict

The Washington Post has topped an editorial it ran penned by actress Amber Heard accusing Johnny Depp of sexual violence with an editor’s note alerting readers to a verdict by a jury this week finding several statements Heard made to be false and defamatory.

“In 2019, Johnny Depp sued Amber Heard for defamation arising out of this 2018 op-ed,” the editor’s note reads.

The Post then listed three defamatory statements Heard made in the piece it published in 2018, including descriptions of how she faced backlash after speaking out against Depp.

One of the statements the jury found to be defamatory was the piece’s headline, which reads: “I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.” 

A verdict in the case came after a trail lasting more than a month and included an extensive and public review of the couple’s personal lives during their short-lived marriage.

Depp was awarded more than $10 million by the jury after their verdict.

News organizations typically attach editor’s notes or clarifications to published pieces if an error has been made, noted and corrected.