Web reactions to Tulsa World lawsuit

Links, offered without comment, to my latest column, the Whirled's story about the lawsuit that was filed (with over 200 comments at last count), and commentary elsewhere.

• The column in question
• Comments on the column
• The World's story, with a PDF of the petition filed by World Publishing Co., with comments
• AP story

Local reaction:

• Thread about the lawsuit at TulsaNow's public forum
• My Tulsa World Blog: In the spirit of the Tulsa World
• Tulsa Chiggers: It's All About Advertising
• aRdent Voice: Tulsa Whorled lashes out on the way down
• lilbrigid: Dreams, lawsuits -- that sort of thing
• zTruth: Michael Bates, Urban Tulsa sued by Tulsa World

From beyond Tulsa:

• dustbury.com: An ill-fitting suit
• Slate: Jack Shafer: David vs. Goliath in Tulsa: Why Tulsa's daily paper will regret suing the city's alternative weekly for libel.
• Comment forum for Shafer's column
• The McCarville Report Online: World Sues Blogger Bates, Newspaper
• The Musings of a Muskogee Politico: Michael Bates (BatesLine) Sued by Tulsa World

TWO MORE THINGS:

I would love nothing better than to defend my column publicly, thoroughly, and immediately. I am ready to do so, but this issue has now moved from the realm of public discourse and debate to the realm of lawsuits and judges and hearings, so I have to look to attorneys for guidance on what can be said and when.

Many, many thanks to all of you who have taken the time to leave a comment or to drop me a note with words of encouragement. (I even heard from another conservative columnist named Michael Bates, who writes for Reporter Newspapers in suburban Chicago.)Special thanks to those who have offered prayers and assistance. For those of you who asked, at this time, I don't know what kind of financial needs we may have in connection with the lawsuit, but I will keep you posted.

UPDATE:

More links:

• Chris Medlock: Slate rides to Bates' rescue
• Bounded Rationality: Bates Sued by Daily Paper
• Bounded Rationality: Just Say No
• Tyson Wynn: Tempting Bate(s)
• My Tulsa World Blog: Tulsa World playing hide-n-seek with user comments
• Overlawyered: January 17 roundup
• Just Journalism: Tulsa World sues alternative weekly for libel
• Requisite Writing: Michael Bates, a Commenter, Sued for Libel... by a Newspaper!"