Bloggers Can Be Sued for Libel

Posted on July 3, 2003 in Blogging

Pass the word: Andrew Sullivan got it wrong. You can be sued for libel.

The Batzel decision which had him and his adoring fans crowing is limited. If some jackass comes to your site and posts a libelous statement about someone else in your comments, you are not responsible. (But the jackass could be.) You can still be sued for defamations and malicious fabrications that you write yourself.

Don’t let this man mislead you into thinking that you can get away with what radio stations, television stations, newspapers, novelists, and others who publish can’t.

For links to accurate information on what the decision means, visit Writing in Orange and Denise Howell’s website.