A journalist behind the CNN report at the center of a defamation trial was accused of "misleading" the plaintiff by hiding he was always going to be part of their story.

Zachary Young, a U.S. Navy veteran and former U.S. government operative, is accusing CNN of defamation in a case that is currently on trial in Florida. Defamation trials are rare in the U.S. due to constitutional protections for the press, which make proving libel difficult.

CNN's fairness guru Emma Lacey-Bordeaux defended the controversial report at the center of a high-stakes defamation trial on Wednesday when called to the witness stand.