Australian media companies face defamation liability for comments on Facebook after court dismisses

A court has dismissed an appeal from several Australian media companies over a 2019 judgment that held them liable for defamatory comments posted by users on their Facebook page in response to news articles.

Indigenous Northern Territory youth detainee Dylan Voller, whose mistreatment in the Don Dale youth detention centre led to a 2016 royal commission, had sued the Sydney Morning Herald, the Australian, the Centralian Advocate, Sky News Australia and The Bolt Report over 10 comments on their Facebook pages in response to news articles about him between 2016 and 2017. Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/jun/01/australian-media-companies-face-defamation-liability-for-comments-on-facebook-after-court-dismisses-appeal