Created gossip blog, what would happen to me?

Question

Say I craeted a website, published everything gossip on it, like who kissed who, who is a b*itch, who is going out with who, from home on my computer. And if it hurt someone, and they called there parents called the school and complained, would I get in trouble. Could they legally be able to punish/suspend me for posting this site. Is it free speech, or could they punish me for bullying? Should they suspend me, or direct it to teh attention of my parents? What do you think?


*This did not or will not happen to me, just inquiring about another incident.

Answer 1

yes, you can get in to trouble if you have published or printed (made known) their names or photos in a public venue. Whether the allegations are true or not, even if you have proof, you would be impugning someone's reputation and this could be considered liable or slander. If I were this person that had such a web site then I would not mention any names or locations..then it is just here-say as one can not entirely prove who the gossip was about. I think the whole gossip thing is rather childish and low class anyways, I don't even read gossip about celebs so I am certain that I would not read anything about school children.

Answer 2

A blog presumably is the "press" and thus you have the same freedom to publish as a newspaper.
If you publish something that is untrue, and it causes damage to another person, they could take legal action against you.

As far as your school goes, you presumably have the right to publish anything you please in your free time, as long as it is not threatening, encouraging illegal activity or libelous or in violation of any other law. That does not mean your school will not tell you to take the site down or suspend you if you do not. If they do, you can choose to comply or to fight it.

Bullying is something entirely different than gossipping. There is no law against gossip (again, as long as it is true, or reasonably believed to be true, and not damaging to someone else.) Bullying involves making threats, which you will presumably not be doing via a website.