A Mississippi judge on Feb. 18 ordered an editorial criticizing the mayor and city leaders to be taken down after the officials filed a lawsuit accusing the newspaper of defamation.
Hinds County Chancery Court Judge Crystal Wise Martin issued a temporary restraining order mandating the removal of the article from The Clarksdale Press Register’s platforms in response to a request from the city.
In her order, the judge noted that the case involves allegations of “defamation against public figures through actual malice in reckless disregard of the truth and interferes with their legitimate function to advocate for legislation they believe would help their municipality during this current legislative cycle.”…