In January 2019, a short video clip of Nick Sandmann appearing to 'smirk' at Native American elder Nathan Phillips at the Lincoln Memorial went viral. Major media instantly branded the teen a racist. Extended footage revealed the Black Hebrew Israelites had been hurling insults at the students, and Phillips had approached them. The initial narrative was almost entirely fabricated from a deceptive clip. Sandmann, then 16, sued multiple outlets for defamation. CNN and the Washington Post settled for undisclosed amounts. NBC Universal also settled.