Und die haben das jetzt auch schwarz auf weiss: The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last Tuesday that Web loggers, website operators and e-mail list editors can't be held responsible for libel for information they republish, extending crucial First Amendment protections to do-it-yourself online publishers.
Online free speech advocates praised the decision as a victory. The ruling effectively differentiates conventional news media, which can be sued relatively easily for libel, from certain forms of online communication such as moderated e-mail lists. One implication is that DIY publishers like bloggers cannot be sued as easily.Das US-Rechtssystem erkennt also an, dass gebloggte Meldungen nicht mit journalistischen Newsmeldungen gleichzusetzen sind, da man eine redaktionelle Arbeit im Sinne des Fact-checkings weder leisten kann noch muss. Dazu Cindy Cohn, legal director der Electronic Frontier Foundation: "But on blogs or e-mail lists, people aren't necessarily selling anything, they're just engaging in speech. That freedom of speech wouldn't exist if you were held liable for every piece of information you cut, paste and forward." [via Wired]
Hierzulande hingegen sieht es in dieser Sache leider ganz anders aus.