Court: Australian media can be sued for social media comments

Australia's highest court ruled media outlets are "publishers" of defamatory comments posted by third parties on their official social media, following a suit by former juvenile detainee Dylan Voller (pictured here). — AAP Image via AP

Australian media outlets can be sued for comments made by readers on their social media accounts, the country’s top court said on Wednesday, reported Anadolu Agency (AA).

"Appellants were liable for the publication of allegedly defamatory ‘comments’ that were posted by third-party Facebook users in response to the content,” the High Court of Australia observed.