NYT Board Condemns Florida Bill On Defamation Law

From the editorial board of the New York Times:

The bill represents a dangerous threat to free expression in the United States, not only for the news media, but for all Americans, whatever their political beliefs. There’s still time for Florida lawmakers to reject this crude pandering and ensure that their constituents retain the right to free speech.

“This isn’t just a press issue,” said Bobby Block, executive director of Florida’s First Amendment Foundation. “This is a death-to-public-discourse bill. Everyone, even conservatives, would have to second-guess themselves whenever they open their mouths to speak or sit in front of a keyboard.”

The bill is an explicit effort to eviscerate a 1964 Supreme Court decision, The New York Times Company v. Sullivan. This bulwark of First Amendment law requires public figures to prove a news organization engaged in what the court called “actual malice” to win a defamation case.

Read the full editorial.

The latest attack on free speech in Florida is the most outrageous of all. Stand up and fight back! via @NYTOpinion (Gift link so you can read this important issue) https://t.co/9U4ztMzhtT

— Fred Wellman (@FPWellman) March 4, 2023