Amid the turmoil brought by rapid changes in the book industry,
American authors and publishers have a little good news.
They have recently been granted some protection from at least
one threat, "libel tourism." Libel tourism is the
practice of filing libel lawsuits in foreign jurisdictions that are
more plaintiff-friendly than the United States. Many countries,
notably the United Kingdom, provide the media with less protection
for the freedoms of speech and press than the U.S.
But how much new protection have American media really
gained?
On Aug. 10, 2010, Congress passed the awkwardly named SPEECH Act
(Securing the Protection of our Enduring and Established Heritage)
on a unanimous vote. President Barack Obama signed it. The SPEECH
Act may be characterized as a reaction to the internationalization
of journalism – a congressional effort to protect
American authors and publishers from the silencing effects of libel
tourism. Designed to "promote the vigorous
