Media outlets can now be held liable for defamatory comments made by third parties on their social media pages, according to a new ruling made yesterday by the Australian High Court.

Under these new rules, anyone with a social media page will be considered the “publisher” of any comments made by a third party and they do not need to have knowledge or notice of these comments to be held liable for them. These new rules could have huge implications for defamation laws and the concept of freedom of speech in Australia.

Produced By: Michelle Stephenson

Featured In Story: Jason Bosland – Associate Professor at Melbourne Law School from the University of Melbourne

First aired on The Wire, Thursday, 9 September 2021