A Grand Junction, Colorado newspaper announced plans to sue a state senator for tweeting that the newspaper ran “fake news” in an editorial criticizing the senator for cancelling a hearing on an open records bill. (Forbes, February 13, 2017, by Paul Fletcher)
The newspaper’s publisher said he planned to delay the filing of the lawsuit to allow a cooling off period but asserted, “His [Senator Ray Scott’s] tweet is patently, provably false. Worse, he made his false statement knowingly for the purpose of diminishing the only real asset this newspaper has: its credibility.” First Amendment lawyer Floyd Abrams is on record suggesting that the media can protect itself against false and malicious speech by bringing libel suits. (Law Newz, February 13, 2017, by Alberto Luperon with contributions by Rachel Stockman)