> Libel and slander have no place in a functioning democracy
One man's libel/slander is another man's investigate journalism ("muckraking" in the US). In this particular case, Gawker wasn't guilty of either libel or slander because they didn't publish anything about Hogan that was false.
> it shouldn't take a billionaire to sue and win judgement against slanderous publishers
One man's libel/slander is another man's investigate journalism ("muckraking" in the US). In this particular case, Gawker wasn't guilty of either libel or slander because they didn't publish anything about Hogan that was false.
> it shouldn't take a billionaire to sue and win judgement against slanderous publishers
It's actually much harder to win a libel/slander suit as a public figure. See: http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/libel-defamation