Re: your opinion on an ethical issue

[Scott Saloway <saloway@bu.edu>]

The only way any family member could bring a claim against the newspaper
for publishing a picture taken: a. in a public place and b. for a
legitimate news purpose is if the picture somehow slandered the kid. The
Globe may be sloppy, and publishing the picture itself proves how sloppy
they are, but unless the caption said that the kid did something he
didn't, the paper is fully protected. 

That said, nothing would stop anyone from suing the Globe for any reason.
That's your right, if you want to waste your money and have your case
thrown out the moment it gets before a judge. It's the American way!

--Scott--

On Wed, 9 Jan 2002, Cooper Fox wrote:

> I am far from being an expert on leagl issues, but I
> was thinking that maybe a claim of mental duress?
> 
> 
> > What would the legal claim be?  The Supreme Court
> > has ruled that disclosure
> > of information obtained from public records or
> > proceedings is protected by
> > the First Amendment.  One case involved the
> > disclosure of a rape victims
> > name by a Florida newspaper even though state law
> > outlawed release of the
> > information, a disclosure that IMHO is more
> > egregious than this case.
> > Though the Globe is open to criticism for their
> > questionable editorial
> > decision, the First Amendment protects them from any
> > legal consequences.
> > 
> > -- Dan Billings, Bowdoinham, Maine
> > 
> 
> 
> =====
> Cooper Fox
>    WWBX- (All new, all hit, B97.1)
>    WVOM- (The Voice of Maine)
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