Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ legislation making it easier to sue news outlets for defamation is encountering opposition from conservative news media who fear the possibility of libel suits that could put them out of business. (The New York Times, April 3, 2023, by Ken Bensinger)
Fox is leaning on the Supreme Court decision Times v. Sullivan as its only chance to survive a direct hit in its defense against a $1.6 billion lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems. The Florida law would weaken media protections under Times v. Sullivan. It narrows the definition of a public figure and puts more burden of proof on news persons to verify a defamatory allegation before publishing. The bill would also allow anyone, anywhere in the state to sue, making it easy to conduct venue shopping. CNN, March 29, 2023, by Steve Contorno)