Law Commons^™

The traditional public-figure doctrine must be adapted to the new faces of online media and the ever-changing conversation outlets available to news consumers on the Internet. After reviewing the traditional tests for plaintiff status determinations in defamation cases, this article establishes a legal standard that American courts should use to determine plaintiff status in cases involving bloggers who sue for defamation. It establishes the proper level of notoriety bloggers must attain before they are considered limited-purpose public figures. Using specific examples from relevant jurisprudence involving both traditional media defamation cases and online defamation cases, this article outlines a three-part test …