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DeSantis, Florida GOP introduce bill to give Supreme Court opportunity to reconsider press freedom [1]

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Date: 2023-02-22  

Ron DeSantis practicing his Mussolini impersonation.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, arguably the country’s top censorship proponent, is extending his reach and his fascist goals through the state’s Republican-controlled legislature, where a bill DeSantis has been pushing for was released this week in the state House. The legislation is his vehicle for challenging New York Times v. Sullivan, the landmark civil rights-era decision that raised the bar for public officials (and eventually extended to “public figures”) to bring libel or defamation claims against the press.

Under Sullivan, public figures have to meet the high bar of proving “actual malice” by a press outlet, that it knowingly published false information or had a reckless disregard for the truth in its reporting about the figure. DeSantis previewed the new legislation earlier this month in a panel discussion with other right-wing figures. “When you’re knowingly putting out false information and, indeed, I’d say these companies are probably the leading purveyors of disinformation in our entire society right now,” said DeSantis, “there needs to be an ability for people to defend themselves, not through government regulation or restriction but through being able to seek private right of action.”

The legislation, which does not yet have a counterpart in the state Senate, would limit the definition of a public figure, and of course make it easier for elected officials to win lawsuits against journalists and the companies they work for. That would make media companies either pay a lot more for liability insurance to cover these kinds of actions, driving many smaller outlets out of the business, or not provide hard-hitting, critical coverage of elected officials. That’s state censorship, by any definition—and fascism by plenty of others.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/22/2154240/-DeSantis-wants-it-to-be-easier-to-sue-and-censor-media

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