A High Court in Australia has ruled that news or media outlets in Australia can be sued for comments made on social media.
The Court’s landmark ruling comes after a former teenage prisoner sued media companies over Facebook comments posted below articles about his mistreatment in detention.
Media experts say the ruling could have wide implications for how Australian news firms and others use social media.
Among the news entities likely to face damages as News Corp Australia and Nine Entertainment.
According to media and legal experts, the ruling could have consequences for anyone with a large online following, not just news publishers.
The ruling in Australia is the first of its kind.
But it stands to influence defamation cases around the world.
Background
It would be recalled that back in 2016, the maltreatment of 17-year-old Dylan Voller in youth detention was revealed in a television report.
The report led to a public inquiry into the mistreatment of inmates in the Northern Territory’s juvenile detention system.
During the course of the inquiry, there was massive media coverage.
The coverage included articles shared to Facebook by publishers.
The posts had comments on Facebook from several users. The comments were mostly about Mr Voller, who was released from detention in early 2017.
After those comments, Mr Voller in 2017, sued the Sydney Morning Herald – now owned by Nine Entertainment – and News Corp’s The Australian and Sky News Australia for allowing comments which he said were defamatory.
By Annie Wharton Savage