Ang may-ari ng Journal News Online, na naglabas ng balita laban kay presidential candidate Leni Robredo, ay asawa ng tourism attache ng Pilipinas sa New York.
Noong Mayo 6, nagsampa ng kasong cyber libel si Barry Gutierrez, tagapagsalita ni Robredo, laban sa Journal News Online, ang nagsulat ng artikulo, PJI Web News Publishing, at Philippine Journalists Inc.
Nag-ugat ito nang maglabas ng artikulo ang Journal News na si Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Jose Ma. Sison umano ay campaign adviser ni Robredo.
Lumabas na ang may-ari ng PJI Web News Publishing ay si Ma. Teresa Lapuz Lardizabal, na asawa ni Francisco Lardizabal, ang attache ng Department of Tourism sa New York.
Inilathala ng Journal News Online ang artikulo noong Abril 21 na may titulong “Joma admits advising Leni.” Mariing pinabulaanan ito ni Robredo.
Sa kanyang inihaing kaso, sinabi ni Gutierrez na ang naturang artikulo ay mapanira.
“The news article is without due regard for truth, propriety, and fairness, whose author and publishers caused the writing and the publication of a scurrilous, malicious, injurious, false, defamatory, and libelous article in the Journal News Online with the intention of attacking my person, character, and honor and exposing myself to public ridicule, contempt, and hatred,” sinabi nya sa kanyang complaint-affidavit.
Dagdag ni Gutierrez, “The fact that the respondents proceeded to publish the news article and used the headline ‘Joma admits advising Leni’ even after learning that the CPP and Sison denied publishing any news item in Ang Bayan, which was allegedly the basis of the news article, is already concrete proof of the bad faith and malicious intent on the part of the respondents.”
