Orlando Sentinel
By: Skyler Swisher
TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis’ push to make it easier for prominent people to sue media outlets for defamation appears to have failed in the Legislature this year, one of the few things lawmakers didn’t deliver for him as they finish their session Friday.
The measure would have made sweeping changes to Florida’s libel and defamation laws, taking aim at the 1964 New York Times v. Sullivan Supreme Court decision. First Amendment advocates hail that landmark case as a cornerstone in protections for freedom of the press.
DeSantis said changes were needed to fight against what he dubbed “legacy media defamation practices.” He first publicly called for action during a Feb. 7 roundtable event, sitting in front of a screen that read “Speak Truth.”
“We’ve seen over the last generation legacy media outlets increasingly divorce themselves from the truth and instead try to elevate preferred narratives and partisan activism over reporting the facts,” DeSantis said.
But DeSantis’ proposal drew a backlash from conservative media outlets that feared they could be harmed financially.
Opponents said the legislation would stifle free speech, unleash a barrage of libel lawsuits and hurt publishers and even ordinary people posting on the internet.
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