Web columnist suited for online statements about presidential advisor

A presidential advisor has sued a Web gossip columnist over statements made in an online report that the advisor abused his wife. America Online, which publishes the column, the Drudge Report, was also named as a defendant in the suit. The suit alleges invasion of privacy, as well as libel and slander. The suit asserts that the same standards that govern the print media should also govern the online media. (August 28, 1997)