Covington Teens vs Washington Post

[Orangeburst]

News and opinion are thought to be seperate in news media. Opinions are given specific places to air...even within sections of news outlets otherwise sharing news.
Do you think the judge overlooked that separation? And does that form the argument for an appeal?

Dang what a slippery slope we are on.

 

[RockyTop85]

News and opinion are thought to be seperate in news media. Opinions are given specific places to air...even within sections of news outlets otherwise sharing news.
Do you think the judge overlooked that separation? And does that form the argument for an appeal?

I don’t think there’s any legal requirement that they be separate. It’s kind of like the publisher/platform dichotomy where both can be present in the same article. The court looks at the content and context of the allegedly defamatory statement.

 

[McDad]

I don’t think there’s any legal requirement that they be separate. It’s kind of like the publisher/platform dichotomy where both can be present in the same article. The court looks at the content and context of the allegedly defamatory statement.

Without any legal distinction between news and opinion, there is no "generally accepted view of the public" or "journalistic ethical duty" (I lack a specific word or phrase to communicate what I am trying to convey) which could be important to consider?

I felt the judge downplayed the poetic license of the reporter in the "news" and gave the media-consuming public far too much credit to distinguish news from poetic license.

Of course, without legal distinction, it may be inconsequential in this case.

 

[McDad]

Dang what a slippery slope we are on.

I dont trust news media in general but I agree with you. Opinion spliced into the "who what where when and how" is not good.