Facebook defamation ruling by High Court exposes all page owners to lawsuits, not just the media

As much as social media has helped us to stay connected, especially for those stuck in lockdown, it has also become a home for vile and questionable commentary.The High Court this week weighed into that issue, in a way, when it ruled that media companies are liable for any comments from the general public on posts they put on Facebook.The case before the High Court directly involved some of the nation’s biggest media organisations, but the consequences reach far beyond Australia’s newsrooms.If you’re the admin of your band’s Facebook page, or the local football club, or your own small business, it will matter to you too.What has the High Court decided?News Corp and Fairfax, the latter now owned by Nine, wanted a ruling on whether they could be held liable if defamatory comments were made by the public on their Facebook posts.The issue arose after Dylan Voller, whose case of mistreatment at the Don Dale Youth Detention Centre sparked a royal commission, claimed he had been defamed by comments under posts by The Australian and The Sydney Morning Herald. Dylan Voller’s case was taken to the High Court after media companies argued they weren’t responsible for comments made by the public.(783 ABC Alice by Tom Maddocks)Whether those comments actually defamed Mr Voller…
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