Melania Trump files lawsuit against political blogger

Proving just how much power social media influencers have, the new First lady Melania Trump has filed a lawsuit against a political blogger who reported rumours that she worked as a high-end escort.

A judge ruled last Friday that Melania Trump can move ahead with a libel lawsuit she filed against the blogger, Webster Tarpley, who is seeking to have the lawsuit dismissed. The lawsuit stems from a blog post in August in which Webster Tarpley reported that there were rumours about whether Trump’s modelling career included work as an escort. The claims followed revealing shots published in the New York Post which showed Melania Trump posing nude in a photo spread for a French adult magazine in 1995, and again in 2000 for GQ.

“There is no dispute that there were, in fact, rumours,” said Webster Tarpley’s lawyer, Danielle Giroux. “He did not say that Melania Trump was a high-class escort. What he said was there are rumours about that”.

Trump’s lawyer hit back and said the rumour was false and that reporters cannot make defamatory statements under the guise of reporting rumours. “The job of a reporter is to vet it before you publish it,” the lawyer, Charles Harder, said.

In this post-truth era in which large quantities of information are not always verified before it is published, it is increasingly hard for consumers to distinguish between what are just ‘rumours’ and what is ‘fake news’. Despite Melania Trump’s controversial past, rumours of her being a high-end escort have not been verified.

The lawsuit filed by Melania Trump also highlights a growing issue – what qualifies as a legitimate news source? When blogging first took off it acted as a platform for ordinary citizens to chat about their own personal experiences, share observations, and opinions outside of mainstream media. But with online news sites like the Huffington Post prominently featuring content from bloggers with other mainstream news corporations following suit the distinction between bloggers and “traditional” press has become blurred.

Many bloggers such as Guido Fawkes, Wings Over Scotland, and Political Scrapbook are not just offering their opinions, they are reporting on the same news and celebrity gossip as traditional media outlets. But as stated by the online publication, BusinessMirror: ‘There is nothing inherently flawed with other forms of press and media being considered part of the “real” press. But anyone who wants to play in the game must be required to play by the same rules’.