They should probably read this excellent article Bloggers, Protect Thyself (From Libel Lawsuits) And The Future Of Journalism by Rachel Kaufman http://www.mediabistro.com/
Here are a couple excerpts-
"What this means is that if a professional blogger or professional journalist is republishing online third-party content, they’re not liable for that publication. When I get e-mail from somebody and they tell me it’s fine to post it on my blog, if I cut and paste that e-mail on my blog, and it has defamatory content, I believe I’m protected under Section 230 [even though I made the choice to post the content]. This is totally counterintuitive, but [Congress] wanted to protect those editorial judgment calls.
Don’t get SLAPPed.
"Anti-SLAPP [Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation] laws are another friend of the professional blogger because they help provide some cover for someone who decides to bring a lawsuit that was not based on legitimate concerns…if the judge decides the lawsuit was a SLAPP, the person who was sued gets their attorney’s fees covered.
"About 30 states have adopted anti-SLAPP laws, and they’re not uniform. Some are narrowly drafted. They protect only people who are trying to redress government wrongs. In other states, they’re drafted a little more broadly. In California, any publication that relates to some matter of public concern might be eligible for anti-SLAPP protection.
"A blogger was posting criticisms of a publicly traded company; the blogger was sued and the case was dismissed on anti-SLAPP laws. [GTX Vs. Left]