News Releases

RTDNA Applauds SPEECH Act Introduction, Urges Congress to Move Quickly

For Immediate Release: June 24, 2010
Contact: Ryan Murphy, ryanm@rtdna.org

WASHINGTON – RTDNA applauds the efforts of senior U.S. lawmakers who unveiled legislation on Tuesday to protect United States journalists from “libel tourists” who file lawsuits in countries whose defamation laws do not afford the same First Amendment protections guaranteed by our Constitution.   U.S. libel law sets a high bar for plaintiffs seeking damages from journalists for defamatory statements.   

Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) introduced the Securing the Protection of our Enduring and Established Constitutional Heritage (SPEECH) Act Tuesday morning.

The legislation would prevent federal courts in the United States from enforcing a foreign judgment for libel that is inconsistent with the First Amendment. The bill also provides a separate declaratory judgment remedy for an author or publisher who wishes to demonstrate that a foreign judgment would not be enforceable under American law, even where the foreign party has not attempted to enforce the judgment in the United States. 

“RTDNA strongly urges Congress to move quickly on this legislation to offer journalists the protection they deserve,” said RTDNA Chairman Mark Kraham. “We don’t want to see more journalists falling victim to unjust libel suits.”

Leahy noted that such countries as England, Brazil, Australia, Indonesia and Singapore are among those with weak libel protections and have attracted “libel tourists.”

“This important bipartisan legislation will allow American writers to clear their names when they are improperly found by a foreign court to have committed libel,” Sessions said in a statement.  “It will also bar enforcement in this country of foreign libel judgments that are contrary to our Constitution and laws.  In short, this bill is a needed first step to ensure that weak free-speech protections and abusive legal practices in foreign countries do not prevent Americans from fully exercising their constitutional right to speak and debate freely.”

The legislation is cosponsored by Senator Arlen Specter (D-Pa.), Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senator Joe Lieberman (DI-Conn.).

About RTDNA

RTDNA is the world's largest professional organization devoted exclusively to electronic journalism. RTDNA represents local and network news executives in broadcasting, cable and digital media in more than 20 countries.