Media harassment

[joe_the_dude]

Several months ago I started having a major problem with a few large media news sources. Featured headlines, the most prominent verbage on the page, began to include on a regular basis my first name, the first names of family members, the first names of friends, the first names of doctors, references to my neighbors, the city I live in, and references to my life. This gradually transitioned from mostly benign statements to more aggressive ones such as so and so the terrorist, so and so the murderer, etc. Recently, the referencing suddenly declined, so that an obvious start and a fairly noticeable reduction exist, though this is still happening. I’m wondering if any legal recourse is available when news outlets present a series of headlines or stories that target an individual in an indirect, but unmistakably personal and threatening way, so specific that any reader would probably notice it.

 

[You Are Guilty]

You need a very specific type of lawyer, and these lawyers are only permitted to practice in a hospital setting. If you still see these headlines, please head down to your local hospital and tell them the situation and they can refer you to the right professional.

 

[quincy]

Several months ago I started having a major problem with a few large media news sources. Featured headlines, the most prominent verbage on the page, began to include on a regular basis my first name, the first names of family members, the first names of friends, the first names of doctors, references to my neighbors, the city I live in, and references to my life. This gradually transitioned from mostly benign statements to more aggressive ones such as so and so the terrorist, so and so the murderer, etc. Recently, the referencing suddenly declined, so that an obvious start and a fairly noticeable reduction exist, though this is still happening. I’m wondering if any legal recourse is available when news outlets present a series of headlines or stories that target an individual in an indirect, but unmistakably personal and threatening way, so specific that any reader would probably notice it.

joe_the_dude, what is the name of your state?

On the off-chance that you and your family and your friends and your doctors and your neighbors and your city are actually being featured on the news, what do you suppose is the reason for this? Have you been identified by the police as a person of interest in any crime (terrorist threats or something)?

There have been suits filed against the media in the past but suits against the media cannot be supported without a showing of actual malice (knowledge of falsity and an intent to cause harm).