Usually bad things are not as bad as they are portrayed on blogs. Blogs tend to exaggerate, because otherwise no one would read them. Plus, if blogs didn’t exaggerate, dead tree journalists would have nothing to feel superior about as they made soup out of catsup and hot water.

However, despite occasional signs of improvement, English libel law is every bit as bad (censorious, unjust, and chilling) as blogs (including ours) have been suggesting. Don’t believe me? Check out this infuriating article by First Amendment scholar Floyd Abrams over at Index on Censorship. Abrams reports that plaintiffs win 90% of libel suits in English courts, an astounding figure. Read it.

Last 5 posts by Ken

• In Which I Indulge In The Very Appalling Elitist Liberal Sneering That is Destroying America - August 27th, 2010
• Was That Wrong? Should We Not Have Done That? - August 27th, 2010
• A Less Perfect Union - August 27th, 2010
• SPEECH Act A Bulwark Against Buffoonish Brits - August 27th, 2010
• Anatomy Of A Toner Scam - August 26th, 2010