Decision to ban reader came with much regret

The Lebanon Voice, after much deliberation and with much sadness, has banned one of its readers from its Facebook outlet due to libel issues.

As a newspaper that is dedicated to a free forum of ideas and ideologies, the decision to ban the individual did not come lightly.

It is the first-ever such banning. The decision was made at an editorial board meeting on Tuesday, and the individual was banned today.

Libel is defined as something that is written and is an untruth.

The Lebanon Voice is responsible for the content of its online newspaper, and we realized that had such a comment been sent in as a Letter to the Editor it would’ve never been run due to liability issues. The same applies to Facebook as it is under the purview of The Lebanon Voice.

A newspaper’s control of content on its Facebook page is far less than on its secure server.

We often hear of inappropriate comments on the newspaper’s Facebook page days after they were posted, because staff doesn’t patrol the page as part of any daily routine.

Inappropriate comments that might not pass muster on the newspaper are normally left on its Facebook page, because while they may be in poor taste, they are nonetheless not actionable.

However, libelous statements cannot be tolerated, either in the newspaper or its Facebook or Twitter feeds.

The individual who was banned from the Facebook page can still access the online newspaper and comment on stories through that platform.

If you see what you consider a libelous statement on our Facebook page we encourage you to email us at thelebanonvoice@aol.com

- Martha T. Soto-Galicia

President, The Lebanon Voice