Public figures and libel laws

The Internet has been instrumental in helping bloggers achieve success and providing the public with recent news almost instantly. However, despite these benefits, the use of the Internet did not bring forth only positive attributes. One major problem has been the ability to instantly spread sensationalized news and therefore damage the reputation of those involved.

Sidney Blumenthal (a victim of this) urged John Kerry to sue the Sun, in a 2004 article he wrote for the Guardian. Kerry was accused of having an affair with an intern; the story was reported by Matt Drudge of the Drudge report and also in various British conservative papers before going viral. Also this story became prominent right when Kerry was leading in the polls.

This is just one example of a public figure that was wrongly defamed. In his article Blumenthal points out that there is basically no legal protection for public figures who are defamed by the press. This is why he suggests to sue in a British court.

The issues raised by Blumenthal bring up a complex matter, How strict should US law be with libel laws in relation to public figures?

If the US laws were more open to public figures suing for libel (similarly to a private citizen) they may face an overflow of lawsuits. There are so many gossip columns and false claims made by tabloids that celebrities would be given the opportunity to sue for libel almost daily. Some people believe negative press is something that comes with the territory of being a public figure.

On the other hand, in Kerry’s case these rumors may have impacted voters opinions of him and therefore effected the results of the election. In this case one could make the argument that Kerry’s career was impacted by the claims made by various news outlets and perhaps he should have the right to sue for damages.

I honestly am far from a legal expert however, I do feel that Kerry (and public figures in similar situations to him) should be able to receive some type of compensation for the effect the inaccurate media coverage had on him. While I do not believe celebrities, politicians and any other type of public figures should be given the same treatment as private citizens in libel suits, there should be some sort of way to determine how severe a false claim impacted a public figure.