Quote
Originally posted by: ecomstoc
What is the legal liability of the paper if some nut gets offended by someone's post and hunts them done?
Originally posted by: ecomstoc
What is the legal liability of the paper if some nut gets offended by someone's post and hunts them done?
The manager of our newspaper's Letters to the Editor section's job is to screen letters for blatant untruths (unsubstantiated quotes, etc.). She has begun a series of articles to explain why a letter may be accepted for print or not, or edited down for space, etc. Writing a letter to the editor is right. Having it selected for print is not a right. Unsigned letters are not accepted. Fact checking of letters is necessary when, for example, a writer says the mayor embezzled money. Profanity will get a letter tossed. Opinions from all sides are welcomed. As with writing to a company to complain about something, lengthy rants are likely to land in the round file pretty quickly. She discussed how fine a line it can be that letters selected for print represent both sides of opinion and do not libel anyone.
Doesn't answer your question, though, which would require the knowledge of the case by legal eagles.
