Tag: libel laws

‘A Bit of Divine Justice’: Trump Vowed to Change Libel Law. But Not Like This.

The following article by Adam Liptak was posted on the New York Times website April 2, 2018:

President Trump was on the losing side of a court decision that will help victims of sexual misconduct sue when they are called liars. Credit: Tom Brenner/The New York Times

WASHINGTON — When Donald J. Trump was running for president, he promised to “open up our libel laws.” No one quite knew what he meant.

Last month, Mr. Trump started to make good on his campaign pledge. But he did so inadvertently — as a libel defendant on the losing side of a decision that will help victims of sexual misconduct sue when they are called liars.

“The irony is glaring,” said Roy Gutterman, who teaches communications law and journalism at Syracuse University.

Before the #MeToo movement, libel lawsuits from people accused of lying were in decline. Indeed, a 2016 law review article chronicled what it called “the slow, quiet and troubled demise of liar libel.” Continue reading “‘A Bit of Divine Justice’: Trump Vowed to Change Libel Law. But Not Like This.”

While you weren’t looking: 5 stories from the Trump administration that aren’t about “shitholes”

The following article by A.P. Joyce was posted on the mic.com website January 12, 2018:

Credit: Shutterstock

This week the media was roiled by the revelation that the president of the United States argued against accepting immigrants from what he reportedly called “shithole countries” in Central America, Africa and the Caribbean, arguing instead for more immigrants from countries like Norway.

But as the nation struggled to define what constitutes overt white nationalism, Trump’s cabinet continued to make drastic policy changes that will affect millions of Americans. Here’s what you might have missed. Continue reading “While you weren’t looking: 5 stories from the Trump administration that aren’t about “shitholes””

‘Current libel laws are a sham,’ Trump said. He clearly does not understand them.

The following article by Callum Borchers was posted on the Washington Post website January 10, 2018:

At his first cabinet meeting of 2018, President Trump promised to reexamine libel laws, saying that they aren’t strong enough. (Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

This post, originally published Oct. 11, 2017, has been updated with President Trump’s remarks  Wednesday.

President Trump displayed a fundamental misunderstanding of existing libel standards Jan. 10 when he said during a televised Cabinet meeting there should be “meaningful recourse in our courts” if a news outlet publishes “something that’s totally false and knowingly false.”

“He’s right — and that’s what the law is now,” said George Freeman, executive director of the Media Law Resource Center. Continue reading “‘Current libel laws are a sham,’ Trump said. He clearly does not understand them.”