Australian news outlets can be sued for social media comments

In a landmark ruling, Australian media companies will now be held liable for any defamatory comments their users make on their social media posts

The decision is likely to have major impacts on the way news outlets and other organisations post online.

It follows the case of a former teenage prisoner suing Nine Entertainment and News Corp over comments posted under their articles about his treatment whilst behind bars.

Both companies could now face damages.

Experts believe this world-first judgment will have a major influence on jurisdictions right around the globe

Over the four-year legal battle, the media companies both argued that they were not liable because they are not the publishers of the comments.

However, this argument was among many rejected by the Supreme Court of New South Wales, which ruled against the news organisations back in 2019.

This judgment was then upheld by the High Court of Australia this week.