• PiousAgnostic@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    With slander, you have to prove the statement is false and that it caused damages.

    Super easy when a news organization says a voting booth was rigged by Hugo Chavez and quit using your company. Not so easy when the guy that spouts nonsense spouts nonsense and ABC news actually reports it. Could be argued his nonsense pays the electric bill at ABC.

    • Boddhisatva@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      Can’t they demand that he prove that they are airing false information? If I go on CNN and say Donald Trump molests collies, he could sue me, couldn’t he? It wouldn’t be on him to prove that he doesn’t actually molest collies. I would have to show that I have some reason to believe that he does.

      • mkwt@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        Actually this isn’t how it works (in most United States)

        If Donald Trump sues you, he has to prove that you harbored “actual malice” because he is a public figure and politician, and therefore enjoys less protection from slander than regular nobodies.

        You can raise the truth of your statements as an absolute defense, regardless of how malicious you were. But it’s still on you to prove it’s true, it at least a non-falsifiable opinion.