Are blogs considered “publishers” under defamation law?

In Arkansas, blogs are considered to be “publishers” under defamation law. This means that bloggers can be held liable for publishing material that is false and damaging to a person’s reputation. If a blogger posts something false about a person that would lead others to believe it to be true and it harms the person’s reputation, then that person may be able to sue the blogger for defamation. Blogs are considered to be “publishers” because they are a way to disseminate information to the public. The law treats blogs and other internet-based forms of media, such as websites or social media platforms, the same as newspapers and other traditional forms of media with regard to defamation law. This means that bloggers must be aware of the laws around defamation and must be careful to only post truthful information. It is also important to remember that defamation laws are not limited to traditional publishers. Arkansas recognizes something called a “Negligence” standard, where individuals can be liable for not doing enough research to verify the accuracy of the information posted. This means that even if the blogger is not the author of the false statement, the blogger can still be held liable for not taking reasonable steps to ascertain the accuracy of the information.

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Are blogs considered “publishers” under defamation law?

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