Now that the Memorial Day weekend is behind us, the election year mudslinging will undoubtedly begin to ramp up. For me, this is always an amusing and disheartening phenomenon of political life in the United States - judging the worthiness of an individual based on either juicy speculation or on the defamation of the rival’s character. This style of politics leads nicely into a discussion of the issue of legal liability, defamation, and the nature of modern news collection and distribution on the Internet. With more and more people turning to the online versions of established newspapers and to news clipping services like Google News, the issue of journalistic ethics and news accuracy becomes crucial for the successful transition towards a paperless society. How society deals with defamation and legal liability regarding the accuracy of the online news is not a trifle subject. Indeed, it is a first step towards reversing the clichéd “don’t trust anything you read on the Internet” caveat that can no longer remain the acceptable standard. Too many important decisions are being made solely on the basis of online media to allow this standard to remain in place. (more…)