“Bloggers who are accused of libel are entitled to the same rights as members of the mainstream media, an appeals court has ruled.

The protections of the First Amendment do not turn on whether the defendant was a trained journalist, formally affiliated with traditional news entities, engaged in conflict-of-interest disclosure, went beyond just assembling others writings, or tried to get both sides of a story, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said in a ruling issued late last week.

The decision, viewed as a sweeping victory for bloggers, reversed a $2.5 million libel verdict against Crystal Cox. A three-judge appellate panel returned the case to the U.S. District Court in Portland, Ore. for a new trial,” quoting Wendy Davis for MediaPostNews.
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