Florida Bill to Update Defamation Laws for Media
Not much attention is given to defamation. People tend to assume that when somebody says something mean to you or tells others things that are untrue about you, you’re supposed to just ignore it. Shake it off and move on.
That’s easier said than done. Many people have had their lives ruined by defamation and a bill in Florida aims to prevent this by making changes to laws. The Senate recently approved a proposal that would change the state’s defamation laws. However, critics of the measure are calling it vague and counterproductive.
The proposal is sponsored by Sen. Corey Simon from Tallahassee. He wants to make it a law to require newspapers and broadcast stations to remove false and defamatory articles once they find out the stories are untrue. The bill, SB 752, was created after the difficulties a Miami man faced when he was accused of molesting a child at a party. The man filed a defamation lawsuit against the child’s relatives. The man was awarded damages by a jury and prosecutors later dropped charges against him.
Television stations showed the former businessman shackled and clad in an orange jumpsuit in court in 2017. Two of three television stations took down stories about the man from their websites. The third station refused, stating it had a policy to not remove stories from its website.
The false allegation ruined the man’s life. Job interviews were canceled, his children could no longer attend private school. The man’s wife and children were forced to leave the country.
The man’s lawyer claims that the media is privileged, allowing material, whether it be true to not, to stay online on news outlets’ websites forever. It’s not fair and it destroys people’s lives.
The Florida Press Association says that requiring publishers to update stories to include corrections to original posts would be a better approach. The public would have access to the updated version of the story rather than totally erasing the story from the internet.
Currently, the media has “fair reporting privilege,” which protects them from being sued for defamation when they publish accurate accounts. The proposed bill would remove this protection. Once they receive notice that a statement is false, the media outlet would have to remove the story “from any website” the outlet controls.
Attorneys for media outlets said this is too vague. What would be considered reasonable? So if one or two sentences are disputed, the entire article would have to be removed. In many cases, the person involved in the story would benefit from a correction or update.
The fact remains that people like the Miami man can be stigmatized for the rest of their lives for something they didn’t do.
Contact Us Today
Words can and do hurt people all the time. Businesses shut down, people move, and people lose jobs over untrue allegations.
Defamation is more widespread than ever, with social media making it easy to spread lies about people and businesses. A Bradenton defamation lawyer from Cahall Law Firm can help you understand the economic and non-economic damages that apply. Schedule a consultation today by calling (941) 281-2019 or filling out the online form.
Source:
tallahassee.com/story/news/local/state/2025/03/12/sen-corey-simon-sponsors-bill-to-change-florida-defamation-law/82337707007/
