Australian news outlets can be held liable for defamatory comments posted by readers on their social media posts, the nation's top court has found.
The landmark ruling could have wide implications for how Australian publishers use social media.
It comes after a former teenage prisoner sued publishers over Facebook comments posted below articles about his mistreatment in detention.
News Corp Australia and Nine Entertainment could face damages.
What was the case about?
In 2016, the cruel treatment of 17-year-old Dylan Voller in youth detention was exposed in a TV report.
Shocking images of him being being shackled to a chair in a spit hood sparked national outcry.
It led to a public inquiry into the mistreatment of inmates in the Northern Territory's juvenile detention system.
There was extensive media coverage, which included articles shared to Facebook by publishers.
Many users made comments on those Facebook posts about Mr Voller, who was released from detention in early 2017.
Later that year, Mr Voller sued the Sydney Morning Herald - now owned by Nine Entertainment - and News Corp's The Australian and Sky News Australia for allowing comments which he said were defamatory to remain on those posts.
What did the courts hear?
Over a four-year legal battle, the media companies argued they were not liable because they couldn't be considered publishers of their readers' comments.
They argued that to be a publisher, they would have needed to know in advance of their readers'...
Read Full Story: https://news.yahoo.com/australia-media-sued-social-media-044923224.html
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