The occasion was the publication of Trump’s alleged ties with financier Jeffrey Epstein, writes Bloomberg.
The new version of the lawsuit was filed in a federal court in Florida after a judge dismissed the original complaint in April because of insufficient pleading under the “actual malice” standard – a key criterion in U.S. libel cases against public figures.
At issue is a Wall Street Journal article that referenced a congratulatory letter allegedly signed by Trump and included in Jeffrey Epstein’s 2003 birthday album. Trump denies the authenticity of the document and claims the publication damaged his reputation.
News Corp, Dow Jones, media mogul Rupert Murdoch, News Corp CEO Robert Thomson, and Wall Street Journal journalists who participated in the preparation of the material are named as defendants in the suit.
Pressure on the media is becoming part of Trump’s strategy
The lawsuit was one of several lawsuits initiated by Trump against US media organizations. Previously, the US president filed lawsuits against The New York Times, BBC, Paramount media holding company and other publications.
Critics see such lawsuits as part of a broader strategy to pressure the press, while Trump’s supporters call them an attempt to protect his reputation from inaccurate publications.
For the U.S. media, the case could be an important test of the robustness of press freedom standards and investigative journalism protections, especially in cases involving public figures and the Jeffrey Epstein subject.
