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Two bills moving through the Florida Legislature aim to make it easier to sue journalists for defamation, but legal experts say it’s more than just reporters who would be impacted.
Supporters of House Bill 991, which just passed its first committee, say it's meant to hold journalists accountable. “This bill could be titled Journalism 101,” sponsor State Rep. Alex Andrade (R-Pensacola) said during a recent committee meeting.
Though legal experts say if the bill becomes law, its impact would be even more wide-reaching, opening up everyday people to frivolous lawsuits over what they post online.
“It puts a thumb on the scale, I would say in favor of people bringing defamation lawsuits against anybody,” Jim Lake, an attorney who specializes in defamation cases with Thomas & LoCicero in Tampa says.