Michael J. Gottlieb is part of a cadre of lawyers deploying defamation, one of the oldest areas of the law, against a tide of political disinformation.
The flipside is British defamation law, where assholes can silence criticism if it harms their “reputation.” Like JK Rowling coercing an apology out of a Twitter user who said her anti-trans rhetoric was once used by the Nazis.
Admittedly the US is less likely to suffer that, exactly, because we recognize truth is an absolute defense against libel. If awareness of your actions harms your reputation… that’s what reputation is for.
The flipside is British defamation law, where assholes can silence criticism if it harms their “reputation.” Like JK Rowling coercing an apology out of a Twitter user who said her anti-trans rhetoric was once used by the Nazis.
Admittedly the US is less likely to suffer that, exactly, because we recognize truth is an absolute defense against libel. If awareness of your actions harms your reputation… that’s what reputation is for.