Silicon Valley - Dan Gillmor's eJournal - Libel and Blogging: Some Safety

Silicon Valley - Dan Gillmor's eJournal - Libel and Blogging: Some Safety "Wired News: Bloggers Gain Libel Protection. The ruling effectively differentiates conventional news media, which can be sued relatively easily for libel, from certain forms of online communication such as moderated e-mail lists. One implication is that DIY publishers like bloggers cannot be sued as easily.
This is good news for folks who are blogging just for the sake of getting some more speech out there in the world. I wonder, however, if it will apply to the increasing number of people whose blogs are an outgrowth of their work or other for-profit activities.
Moreover, the court here is by far the most liberal of the nation's appeals courts. Other jurisdictions haven't been heard from yet, and the loser may appeal in any event.
It's always a good idea to check inflammatory material a little further before sending it to other people, anyway. Just because you may be legally protected from the consequences of hurting other people doesn't make it right."

Some timely advice from Dan Gillmor