Reader says There’s a big difference between ‘opinion’s’ and ‘slander’.
There’s a big difference between ‘opinion’s’ and ‘slander’.
If someone makes a statement about a particular individual that is false and or defamatory, I’d say they could be liable for it. (one would have to prove damages in court and that’s a difficult and expensive task)
A ‘public person’ *elected official, govt employee* vs a ‘private person’ also has certain definitions and parameters of what is acceptable and expected to be written about them.
If I recall, one of the earlier online blogs set a legal precedent where online posters could state opinions, but not false accusations and slander.
The blog owner was sued and the problem there…and im not 100 percent certain…had to do with his editing of posts or selectively allowing some posts and not others vs. allowing all posts.
It was “emerson eye’ or ‘eye on emerson’… something along that name.
Didn’t the owner of that blog take it down rather than go through the legal process?
I’m not sure how it all ended up but it became clear that:
If the blog owner didn’t want liability, he was not to ‘edit’ any posts and just provide the ‘forum’.
He was also to post the comments and not selectively allow posts (unless the post wasn’t within the typical blog rules of etiquette etc.
If someone did make slanderous remarks then their IP could be requested via subpoena and the blogger would have to provide them, rather then selectively providing IP address.
So behavior of both posters and blog owner was part of the lawsuit.
If you don’t make false allegations as a poster you have nothing to worry about since you are allowed to voice ‘opinion’s about those who are ‘public persona’.
If your the blog owner and don’t edit posts and or selectively allow posts, you have nothing to worry about.
Okay so who is going to name the Soccer Mom being sued? Enquiring minds want to know…
OMG – Junior didn’t make the “A” team. It can’t be because he’s just not that good at soccer so it has to be something else. I know, a conspiracy – let’s take it out on a coach that volunteers his time for youth sports. Just a note for any parent that lives in Ridgewood – your kid is probably not going to play big time sports after high school and definitely not after college. You might want to focus him on getting some good grades. It is truly silly that it has come to this.