ACLU of Florida flags First Amendment concerns about Senate Bill 752
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed Senate Bill 752 by Sen. Corey Simon. SB 752 would make it significantly easier for politicians to sue and prevail on defamation claims against members of the press who publish articles online.
The bill exposes media outlets to unlimited damages if they do not permanently remove online articles within a strict and arbitrary timeframe. It eliminates the statute of limitations and removes long-protected freedoms that have allowed the press to effectively serve as our democracy’s fourth branch of government.
Kara Gross, legislative director and senior policy counsel of the ACLU of Florida, responded with the following:
“Freedom of speech and a free press are the hallmarks of a healthy democracy. SB 752 threatens both these freedoms by weakening state laws that have long protected media outlets, journalists, and citizens alike from frivolous lawsuits.
“The freedom of the press, protected by the First Amendment, is critical to a democracy where the government is accountable to the people. A free media functions as a watchdog that can investigate and report on government overreach. The government should not be in the business of chilling speech and censoring viewpoints that it disagrees with by making it easier for politicians and other individuals to sue journalists who seek to hold them accountable.
“This overly broad and vague bill is a brazen and blatant attack on the First Amendment. It seeks to side-step the judicial process and requires media outlets to permanently remove statements from the internet without any judicial determination that the statement contains any inaccurate information. If passed, it will chill, silence, and punish media outlets for doing their jobs. A free press is critical to hold government accountable for its actions.”
