Neil Young sues the Trump campaign a second time over the use of 'Rockin' in the Free World' at rallies

Neil Young has filed a $10m copyright lawsuit against the Trump 47 Committee over the use of 'Rockin' in the Free World' at midterm rallies. It is the second time he has sued a Trump organisation over the song.

L 55%C 27%R 18%

L 55% · C 27% · R 18% · 11 outlets

Left 1 · Centre-left 5 · Centre 3 · Centre-right 1 · Right 1

Context Sources by lean Video Deep dive Follow the money More coverage

How each side framed it

Left-leaning outlets

Left-rated outlets headline it: “Neil Young sues for the second time over Trump’s use of ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’” (NBC News); “Neil Young files second lawsuit against Trump for unauthorised use of Rockin’ in the Free World at rallies” (The Guardian).

Centre outlets

Centre-rated outlets headline it: “Neil Young again sues Trump campaign for playing Rockin' in the Free World at rally” (BBC News); “Neil Young sues Trump again over 'Rockin' In The Free World'” (Reuters).

Right-leaning outlets

Right-rated outlets headline it: “Neil Young Files $10 Million Suit Against Trump for Playing 'Rockin' in the Free World'” (Breitbart); “Neil Young sues Trump over use of his song during rally” (Washington Examiner).

Context

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Sources by lean

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Video

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Deep dive

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Follow the money

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Who owns or funds the outlets covering this story (11 outlets)

Outlet	Lean	Ownership & funding (MBFC)
HuffPost	Left	HuffPost is owned by BuzzFeed, Inc., a publicly traded digital media company based in New York. In November 2020, BuzzFeed acquired HuffPost from Verizon Media Group, with Verizon becoming a minority shareholder. In February 2021, BuzzFeed founder and CEO Jonah Peretti took charge of the combined properties. source
CNBC	Centre-left	CNBC is owned by NBC Universal, which Comcast owns. Comcast’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is Brian L. Roberts, founded by his father, Ralph J. source
Euronews	Centre-left	Euronews is owned by Alpac Capital, a Portugal-based investment fund that acquired an 88% stake in July 2022, with the remaining 12% held by government-supported broadcasters from Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Ownership also has business ties with Hungary’s Viktor Orban. source
NBC News	Centre-left	No ownership data found
The Guardian	Centre-left	The Guardian and its companion publication, the Sunday newspaper The Observer, are owned by Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). Scott Trust Limited was created in 1936 to ensure the editorial independence of the publications and owns Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). source
The Independent	Centre-left	The Independent is owned by Independent Print Limited, a company owned by the Lebedev family (Alexander Lebedev and his son Evgeny Lebedev). In 2017, Saudi Businessman Sultan Muhammad Abuljadayel bought a 30% stake in the Independent online newspaper. Advertising and subscription generate revenue for the paper..push({}); source
BBC News	Centre	The BBC operates under a Royal Charter. Oversight is managed by the BBC Board, and regulatory authority rests with Ofcom. source
Reuters	Centre	In April 2008, the British company Reuters Group was acquired by Thomson Corporation and formed Thomson Reuters. source
The Hill	Centre	In 2021, The Hill was purchased by Nexstar, which owns around 200 TV stations and media outlets nationwide. The founder, chairman, president, and CEO of Nexstar is Perry A. Sook. source
Washington Examiner	Centre-right	The Washington Examiner is owned by Clarity Media Group, owned by Philip Anschutz, an American billionaire entrepreneur who describes himself as a “conservative Christian.” Anschutz is also the owner of the right-leaning Weekly Standard and has donated millions of dollars to right-leaning causes, including anti-LGBT groups, such as the Family Research Council, which has been labeled a hate group. source
Breitbart	Right	After the death of Andrew Breitbart in 2012, Larry Solov became CEO and president of Breitbart News. In 2017, according to Politico, Larry Solov revealed the owner of Breitbart as “himself, founder Andrew Breitbart’s widow, Susie Breitbart, and the Republican mega-donor family, the Mercers.” Further, Solov also stated that he wants “to disclose as little as possible about financial and ownership structure.” source