Legalectric

Now this is getting interesting… ahem… A Read it first from the horse’s… (where’s horsey photo?) …here’s Brodkorb no photo of BrodKorb either!).

From the STrib: Facing suit, anonymous blogger lifts his mask

The suit alleges that Brodkorb, citing an unnamed source, defamed the St. Paul-based public relations firm New School Communications when he posted a claim that New School had become publicly critical of the congressional campaign of Coleen Rowley only after Rowley rejected a contract with the firm.

Blois Olson, of New School Communications

The StPPP describes the crux this way:

In the Dec. 28 blog posting, Brodkorb wrote that Hubert H. “Buck” Humphrey IV, the grandson of the late vice president and an employee of New School Communications, solicited business from Rowley’s congressional campaign for the public relations firm and that Olson subsequently criticized the campaign as inept.

Olson, who was not asked by Brodkorb to comment on the item until after it was posted on the blog, quickly branded the posting false and demanded a retraction. Brodkorb refused.

On the New School Communications site, they tout New Rules #1: Don’t over think, over design, over analyze. Hmmmmmm, the home page features the “PR Blog – PR Trends and Tactics” and the last post is March 31, 2005. Ought to update on this method of reaping PR!

And in the St.PPP: Minnesota political blogger being sued for defamation

Michael Brodkorb, a/k/a www.minnesotademocratsexposed.com, is sued for defamation. It’s a bar exam question in living color. Blog, conslutants, Colleen Rowley wouldn’t hire Humphrey and/or Humphrey went to Rowley (which of these is the problem), business and political reputations in the crapper, who’s saying what about who, who’s slamming who, a gaggle of public figures so who cares, and something in that makes people gasp? Huh? What? Where’s the slander? So did Humphrey hustle the business? Did the campaign say “go away?” Did the Plaintiff call the Rowley campaign inept? Is the Rowley campaign inept? Did the Rowley campaign have a chat with MDE? Is it all connected, and has it harmed New School? Has it helped New School? Has it helped MDE? Has it helped Rowley? How much would front page advertising in STrib and StPPP cost New School? Is the damage going to be weighed against the publicity benefits? Everybody’s talking — isn’t that a measure of success for publicity communications companies?

I mean it’s not like somebody’s saying they caught Colleen “always try” Rowley and Buck Humphrey in an Olson/New School arranged drunken frolic donning Karl Rove and Condi Rice masks in a soapy Bridge Square fountain doing their best impression of the latest euroPART scandal! (Scroll to Jan. 2)

Stolen from ??? on northfield.org

But there are some gems to think about, like anonymous blogging, the ease of retort because everybody who can type and many who can’t have a blog, same goes for thinking, and whether you can believe everything you read, particularly on the internet, again, from the STrib article today:

The suit has the potential for breaking new ground on legal issues associated with blogging. While some states’ courts have ruled on issues such as anonymous blogging, the territory remains largely uncharted, particularly in the federal courts. While Brodkorb voluntarily revealed himself, some legal experts suggest that federal law would have made it very difficult to unmask him.

Additionally, in a Delaware case last year, the state’s Supreme Court ruled that people aggrieved by a blog had the opportunity for redress simply by posting on the offending blog. Political debate, such as that engaged in by Minnesota Democrats Exposed, also is usually afforded the highest form of First Amendment protection by courts, said Jane Kirtley, a professor of media ethics and law at the University of Minnesota.

One result from the Delaware case could be that bloggers may benefit from their own gunslinger reputations, Kirtley said.

“A lot of stuff that appears on blogs, whether it’s meant to be or not, is usually not taken by readers as being statements of fact,” she said. “Bloggers, by their very nature, are not expected to adhere to the same standards of accuracy that those in the mainstream media would be.”

I think this anonymous blogging is utterly no balls, worse than no comment blogging. There’s this guy, flapping away and there’s no recourse, how to hold him accountable, another milder one is “Spot” in Edina…

Spot is supposedly “gloriously unaltered,” but get a life guys, if you can’t say it publicly, loud and proud, with your name attached, what’s the point of having opinions? OWN IT!!!!!!