Shereen Siewert, Editor of the non-profit online news outlet Wausau Pilot and Review, joined Thursday 8 O’Clock Buzz host Tony Castañeda to explain how the small, independent newspaper found itself subject to a lawsuit for defamation and its struggle to survive given the lengthy and expensive legal fight it’s been in for over 2 years. In another example of what First Amendment experts describe as a “troubling trend of wealthy and powerful people using defamation law as retribution“, Cory Tomczyk, now a Republican state senator, sued the paper for reporting his use of a homophobic slur during a community meeting on diversity. A judge dismissed the suit in April of this year but Tomczyk filed an appeal, meaning the paper’s legal and financial woes will continue, and unlike other states Wisconsin does not have anti-SLAPP legislation, meaning the paper has limited legal ways to fight back against punitive lawsuits that have little or no merit. A GoFundMe legal defense fund has been established to help this enterprising, award-winning local newspaper fight the good fight, and continue its important work as a source of independent journalism in central Wisconsin.

Photo courtesy of Skitterphoto on Pixabay.

 

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