A new legal ruling could have major implications for how news content is shared online, and ensuring less sensationalism in Facebook posts, specifically, which have been designed to trigger maximum response.
Last week, the Australian High Court upheld a ruling which, in some circumstances, could see Australian media outlets held liable for user comments left on their respective Facebook Pages.
The finding has sparked a new range of concerns around potentially limiting journalistic free speech, and impeding reporting capacity. But the complexity of the case goes deeper than the initial headline. Yes, the High Court ruling does provide more scope for media outlets to be held legally accountable for comments made on their social media pages, but the full nuance of the ruling is more specifically aimed at ensuring incendiary posts are not being shared with the clear intent of baiting comments and shares.
The case stems from an investigation in 2016, which found that inmates of a youth detention center in Darwin had been severely mistreated, even tortured, during their confinement. Within the subsequent media coverage of the incident, some outlets had sought to provide more context on the victims of this torture, with a handful of publications singling out the criminal records of said victims as an alternate narrative in the case.
One of the former inmates, Dylan Voller, claims that the subsequent media depictions of him were both incorrect and defamatory, which lead to Voller...
Read Full Story: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/australian-high-court-ruling-could-see-media-outets-held-legally-accountabl/606428/
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