I have mixed feelings. Making it easier to sue over opinion articles could come back to bite any of us who post opinions online or elsewhere.
What the Times does is outright slander meant to smear one’s reputation, not opinion.
since when does publishing known lies equal opinion, except for maybe the onion or babylon bee?
I don’t know. Libel is defamation published in print and requires what was printed to be damaging, false, and motivated by malice.
I think printed good-faith opinions are safe. The malicious part is probably the most important factor here. I think opinions that are published in good faith even if they are false are safe.
I think the pieces about Palin were more lies and hate than opinion.
If someone punches you don’t punch back because they might get mad and punch you.
Why; are all opinions lies?
There’s a big difference between opinion and libel.
Opinions are a world apart from accusations and insinuations!
Opinions are presentation of an individuals beliefs on one matter or another, NOT an ACCUSATION of culpability in an action carried out by another.
This this a attack or a statement that is critical?
"Sarah Palin's political action committee circulated a map that showed the targeted electoral districts of Ms. Giffords and 19 other Democrats under stylized cross hairs"
None of us like the NYT but this is a very weak case. Assuming this is all there is. There are clear cases of attacks by the NYT. Unless there is more to this case this done before it started.
Some of Jared Laughner favored books was Mein Kampf and The Communist Manifesto. Both from the dialectical materialism / Hegelian Dialectic of putting everyone into categories of status then pitting one group against the other. The bases of leftist beliefs. In other words the NYT is flat wrong about everything they said in this statement. It had nothing to do with Palin. Laughner had to have hated her as one of the key figures on against his beliefs
The problem wasn't opinion, it was the false characterization of what, obviously, were cartographic fiducial icons (aka, "Placemarkers") -- as rifle scope reticles (falsely called, "crosshairs").
The Slimes was so anxious to play "Gotcha!" that they didn't do due diligence with an internet image search...
TXnMA
(Cartographer and Shooter)