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Colorado Newspaper Considers Lawsuit in Response to Being Labeled "Fake News"
The Daily Sentinel in Grand Junction, Colorado has accused state Senator Ray Scott of defamation and considering a lawsuit. It would be the first suit of its kind, potentially setting a legal definition for what is considered fake news and what is not.
The dispute began with an opinion column in the newspaper supporting a bill that would give journalists and others greater access to public records. Scott, who represents Grand Junction and serves as assistant majority leader in the state Senate, postponed a hearing and vote on the bill.
The accusation that the column was "a fake news story" raised the ire of Jay Seaton, the Sentinel's publisher. "I'm accustomed to all kinds of criticism for what we do; that comes with the job," he said. But Seaton says the term "fake news" is "an attempt to undermine the speaker. That's where this bumps up against the First Amendment. When you've got a government actor who doesn't like something he's seen and tries to diminish its credibility, then you've got real problems."