Free Republic is an online message board for independent, grass-roots conservatism on the web. A gathering spot to check notes, plan strategy, and talk about the issues of the day. Free Republic is a bulletin board type system that allows registered users to comment on breaking news. Founded by John and Jim Robinson in 1996 and it became an LLC website in 1997.
Per their website,
| “ | Welcome to Free Republic! America's exclusive site for God, Family, Country, Life & Liberty constitutional conservative activists! | ” |
Freepers played an important role in exposing Dan Rather and the use of forged documents, in what came to be known as Rathergate.[1]
L.A. Times v. Free Republic
The Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post filed suit against Free Republic in 1997 over the re-publishing of copyrighted material on the site. As a result of the court case, articles are now excerpted if they are articles from the mainstream media.