It is unusual for a clause in an act of Congress to develop a cult following, but Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act has. The clause explicitly says that the internet should not be treated like print or broadcast media, which means internet platforms do not bear any liability for third-party content.
This strongly contrasts with the treatment of both print and broadcast media. If someone takes out an ad in a newspaper or writes a letter to the editor, wrongly accusing someone of being a thief or a murderer, the paper can be sued, along with whoever took out the ad or authored the letter.
The same applies to a television or radio station. They could also be held liable for carrying an ad or promoting defamatory claims, as is now happening in the lawsuits that Dominion and Smartmatic are pursuing against Fox News.
