Dunne wrong

I applaud former congressman Gary Condit (remember him?) for bringing a libel suit against Dominick Dunne. On the air, Dunne proffered baseless theories about the Chandra Levy murder, and now Condit wants him to pay. Right-wing sensationalists like Dunne must learn that allegations of murder -- especially when leveled against a man never charged by police or identified as a suspect -- are serious business.

We all recall the propagandists who spread dark and conspiratorial stories of this sort during the Clinton era; never pretend that right-wing whoppers like the "Clinton death list" and the "murder of Rob Brown" do not persuade the gullible. The only way to force conscience-free scurrilous scribes to stop lying is to bring libel suit after libel suit after libel suit. Drown 'em in legal fees.

Yes, such a campaign would cost money; it would be money well spent. Trial lawyers tend to favor Democrats; perhaps some of them can donate their services pro bono to this cause. I know that public figures have fewer legal protections from libel than do private figures. I doubt that jurors will agree, however, that partisan broadcasters should have absolute license to bring evidence-free allegations of murder and other serious crimes against Democratic politicians.

Conservative media shills are psychologically incapable of sticking to the truth. If they have to get out their checkbooks every time they utter a libel, they will switch from rabble-rousing to honest debate.

FindLaw argues that Condit should drop his suit, because Dunne is (allegedly) sympathetic and Condit is not. I disagree; even the most puritanical members of the public must comprehend that infidelity does not justify false allegations of murder. Libel laws exist to protect everyone, not just the saints among us.

The best account of this lawsuit comes via the New York Times. Note that Dunne was invited to repeat his false story on Laura Ingraham's airwaves. Why is she not a defendant? Did she offer even one word of equivocation when Dunne spun his lies on her radio show? Did she invite Condit to respond?

Dunne per se is not the main problem. We have to target the entire culture of reactionary mendacity. The only way to accomplish that goal is to hit hard, over and over, each time an outrage occurs. That crusade will take truckloads of money and involve many a setback. But is there any other way to stop the lies?