Libel, Public Figures, and the Net by Mike Godwin, Article for Internet World, June 1994 issue.

This article discusses, among other issues, whether or not an individual who posts on the Internet is a public figure for the purpose of libel laws. If a person is considered a public figure, it is very difficult to prevail in a libel suit because of the actual malice standard. A person can become a public figure, among other ways, by deliberately putting himself or herself in public debate. The rationale behind giving public figures less protection against libel is that they have greater access to the media and can more readily defend themselves. People who post on the Internet, argues Mike Godwin, have deliberately entered public debate and can defend themselves against libel by writing a refutation on the Interent. Godwin points out that these two facts may cause libel law to be "increasingly irrelevant" at least regarding Internet conferencing.