• Boddhisatva@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    Can’t they demand that he prove that they are airing false information? If I go on CNN and say Donald Trump molests collies, he could sue me, couldn’t he? It wouldn’t be on him to prove that he doesn’t actually molest collies. I would have to show that I have some reason to believe that he does.

    • mkwt@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      Actually this isn’t how it works (in most United States)

      If Donald Trump sues you, he has to prove that you harbored “actual malice” because he is a public figure and politician, and therefore enjoys less protection from slander than regular nobodies.

      You can raise the truth of your statements as an absolute defense, regardless of how malicious you were. But it’s still on you to prove it’s true, it at least a non-falsifiable opinion.