You seem to be referring to the interpretation of the First Amendment that the Supreme Court enunciated first, I believe, in New York Times v. Sullivan, that for a public figure to be able to maintain a libel suit, he/she must be able to prove actual malice, or reckless disregard for the truth. In the public arena, people sometimes say things that are unpleasant, but sometimes the truth hurts, so the fact that something hurts doesn't mean people can't say it. We tolerate Nazis marching in Skokie because they have a right to express their opinion, no matter how offensive we may find it. We don't burn books in this country, nor do we tolerate courts telling newspapers what they can print, for the most part. Censorship leads to dictatorship.
I think SI(Bob) had the right to disagree with Gary, but I don't think he was right to censor his post. "I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." |
