USA TODAY: … 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… (more)
EDITOR: It concerns us that a court appointed official would not be considered a public figure. If an appeal were made, that ruling might be overturned. As President Harry Truman said, “If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen.”
Fortunately, with the thousands of bloggers in the blogosphere, and the many alternative news outlets, the truth can escape the tight control of the main stream media.