The Colored Folks Times-Dispatch (The CFTD) is an online site that creates parody, satire, and caricature of public figures, public persons, persons engaged in public activity, and limited-purpose public figures.
Our content is political speech and commentary and is thus protected by U.S. law and First Amendment rights.
From the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press:
“Satire and parody are important forms of political commentary that rely on blurring the line between truth and outrageousness to attack, scorn, and ridicule public figures. Although they may be offensive and intentionally injurious, these statements contain constitutionally protected ideas and opinions, provided a reasonable reader would not mistake the statements as describing actual facts.”
There are legal definitions for what constitutes a public person or person engaged in public activity or limited-purpose public figure.
From Electronic Frontier Foundation.
“A public figure is someone who has actively sought, in a given matter of public interest, to influence the resolution of the matter. In addition to the obvious public figures—a government employee, a senator, a presidential candidate—someone may be a limited-purpose public figure. A limited-purpose public figure is one who (a) voluntarily participates in a discussion about a public controversy, and (b) has access to the media to get his or her own view across. One can also be an involuntary limited-purpose public figure—for example, an air traffic controller on duty at time of fatal crash was held to be an involuntary, limited-purpose public figure, due to his role in a major public occurrence.”
Over many years of American jurisprudence, there have been many court rulings that established protection for satire and parody, notably the controlling precedent set in the 1964 Supreme Court ruling in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, which is considered a key decision in supporting the First Amendment and freedom of the press.
The tone and writing style of content on The CFTD make it clearly and undoubtedly obvious that the intent is satire, parody, and caricature — so that any reasonable reader or even a moron would find it as such.
