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January 19, 2014
Federal Appeals Court Rules Bloggers Have First Amendment Protections
Federal Appeals Court Rules Bloggers Have First Amendment Protections
The Obama regime seems to believe that they have the right to dictate who qualifies as a “journalist”, and seem to argue that only “real” journalists (translate MSM) qualifies for journalistic or First Amendment protections.
Ah no, and this case could have legal ramifications that could help all bloggers against such minimization of their rights by this regime.
A federal appeals court ruled Friday that bloggers and the public have the same First Amendment protections as journalists when sued for defamation: If the issue is of public concern, plaintiffs have to prove negligence to win damages.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered a new trial in a defamation lawsuit brought by an Oregon bankruptcy trustee against a Montana blogger who wrote online that the court-appointed trustee criminally mishandled a bankruptcy case.
The appeals court ruled that the trustee was not a public figure, which could have invoked an even higher standard of showing the writer acted with malice, but the issue was of public concern, so the negligence standard applied.
Gregg Leslie of the Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press said the ruling affirms what many have long argued: Standards set by a 1974 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Gertz v. Robert Welch Inc., apply to everyone, not just journalists.
“It’s not a special right to the news media,” he said. “So it’s a good thing for bloggers and citizen journalists and others.”
Wild Thing's comment.................
Obama cannot be happy about this ruling.
Posted by Wild Thing at January 19, 2014 12:45 AM
Comments
A blog is just another form of the press; no different from a newspaper or TV News.
Posted by: bobf at January 19, 2014 10:05 AM
