Saturday, March 3, 2012

Bloggers Rights...We Have them!

In light of everything going on, including being threatened legally. I had decided to do a little research of my own about bloggers rights. Did you know that we actually have rights as bloggers?! I certainly didn't and its quite useful to know. So I'm going to link some stuff to read and copy paste some stuff that seemed important to me and should be to you as well.

:To my readers lol sorry if this is boring to you, but please share.


  • Bloggers can be journalists (and journalists can be bloggers).
  • Bloggers are entitled to free speech
  • Bloggers have the right to political speech
  • Bloggers have the right to stay anonymous.
  • Bloggers have freedom from liability for hosting speech the same way other web hosts do.


Now there is more to that as far as what that all means and you can find that here https://www.eff.org/bloggers

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Now here comes a personal issue for me and its the ins and outs of defamation. Its been thrown around a lot that myself and other bloggers were going to be sued for Defamation, Slander, and Libel. Now while this may sound shocking and scary its not. As a blogger I was extremely careful to only post the truth. Truth now as how I saw it but what I could show with undoctored screen shots and things I could legally find on Google. Do you realize that its quite easy to find a lot of information about someone, a business, or anything on Google? We live in a information age and the information is right at our fingertips. We just have to be willing to search it.

So here are the definitions for all three of the things I'm being sued for.

Defamation:  1. (noun) defamation 
act of injuring another's reputation by any slanderous communication, written or oral; the wrong of maliciously injuring the good name of another; slander; detraction; calumny; aspersion   http://www.definitions.net/definition/defamation

Slander: 1. (noun) slander 
a false tale or report maliciously uttered, tending to injure the reputation of another; the malicious utterance of defamatory reports; the dissemination of malicious tales or suggestions to the injury of another  http://www.definitions.net/definition/slander

Libel: 1. (noun) libel 
brief writing of any kind, esp. a declaration, bill, certificate, request, supplication, etc http://www.definitions.net/definition/libel


Here also is the definitions for all three above but from this site https://www.eff.org/issues/bloggers/legal/liability/defamation



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Now to be fair I can't actually be sued for slander as my blog is just words and I haven't had an vlogs on here or had contact with anyone over the phone about said *whatever you want to call it*


So what does this all mean for a blogger? That like any post you may publish you want to be careful to what you say. Does it mean that if you call some person a asshole and they don't like it will they sue you? No. I think my situation is a very different one. I happen to be trying to take down "the man" and I never told myself it would be easy or fun. But it's whats right.

I think in all honesty my situation is one of those ones you see or read about and think "THANK GOD THAT'S NOT ME" Goes back to theMarissa's Bunny  issue, its like history repeating itself in a way. I remember reading about that and thinking "glad I'm no where near that situation" But those people didn't let down getting the word out, helping the parents. 

You've read my blogs about the situation, here is another blog to read in case you haven't but here is  Four Monkey's 4 Me

She has taken the charge, I respect her for what she has put out there. Please show her some love.


While you have distanced yourself from this issue, remember this....who will stand up for the ones who are left behind and continue to come if we fall away? When all is said and done, this will rock the special needs community like never before. I for one will still be standing when the fallout dust has settled.


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