The mommy wars

London

The author of one of Britain’s most popular baby-care books is suing a parenting Web site for defamation. Gina Ford is the author of The Contented Little Baby Book, which advocates strict routines and letting babies cry themselves to sleep. She’s long been a target for criticism; one TV magazine did a segment called “Gina Ford: Who Are You to Tell Us?” (Ford has no children herself). Now she’s suing the Mumsnet Web site, saying that derogatory member postings on the site—such as one calling her “a fart-faced, rolly-fluff poo”—do not constitute fair comment. Mumsnet founder Justine Roberts, a mother of four, has banned any mention of Ford from her site until the suit is settled. Holding a site’s owner responsible for defamatory comments would be unprecedented in Britain.