Michael J. Gottlieb is part of a cadre of lawyers deploying defamation, one of the oldest areas of the law, against a tide of political disinformation.
“The cost of bringing a defamation suit to trial can be enormous, often exceeding a quarter-million dollars’ worth of expenses, to say nothing of the value of attorney time,” […]
Mr. Gottlieb and his team refer to their cases as a “hobby” in service to […]
Insane.
Given the spread and damage of misinformation, maybe it’s time for state prosecution to not only pursue physical danger criminals, but also system society relevant destabliators.
The flipside is British defamation law, where assholes can silence criticism if it harms their “reputation.” Like JK Rowling coercing an apology out of a Twitter user who said her anti-trans rhetoric was once used by the Nazis.
Admittedly the US is less likely to suffer that, exactly, because we recognize truth is an absolute defense against libel. If awareness of your actions harms your reputation… that’s what reputation is for.
Insane.
Given the spread and damage of misinformation, maybe it’s time for state prosecution to not only pursue physical danger criminals, but also system society relevant destabliators.
The flipside is British defamation law, where assholes can silence criticism if it harms their “reputation.” Like JK Rowling coercing an apology out of a Twitter user who said her anti-trans rhetoric was once used by the Nazis.
Admittedly the US is less likely to suffer that, exactly, because we recognize truth is an absolute defense against libel. If awareness of your actions harms your reputation… that’s what reputation is for.