FC: Thin-skinned Nevada county officials close site lampooning them

From: Declan McCullagh (declanat_private)
Date: Wed Nov 14 2001 - 22:41:09 PST

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    [County Public Communications Director Gwen Castaldi is, reportedly,
    a journalist. (http://www.co.clark.nv.us/Public_communications/castaldi.htm)
    Too bad she didn't learn much about freedom of expression. --Declan]
    
    ---
    
    http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2001/Nov-14-Wed-2001/news/17445313.html
    
    Wednesday, November 14, 2001
    Threat kills site mocking officials
    
       County letter targets lampoon on Web
       By FRANK GEARY
       REVIEW-JOURNAL
       
       A Web site that lampooned Clark County officials was shut down late
       Monday after a county administrator threatened to sue the Internet
       company that was host to the site.
       
       County Public Communications Director Gwen Castaldi wrote Jomax
       Technologies, a domain registration, e-mail and Web site hosting
       company based in Arizona, a Nov. 1 letter that said county personnel
       were concerned the Web site's content "may be considered slanderous."
    
       [...]
    
       Leaders of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada were troubled
       that county officials would suppress criticism by threatening legal
       action. Allen Lichtenstein, general counsel for the ACLU, said the
       possibility of a government agency suing for slander or libel was
       ridiculous.
    
       [...]
       
       Before it was shut down Monday, the Web site published allegations
       about the personal lives of County Manager Thom Reilly, Commission
       Chairman Dario Herrera and former county administrator Bill Barrett.
       One altered photo showed Herrera with a black eye and some teeth
       knocked out.
    
       [...]
    
    
    
    
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