Talking trash online
The week's news at a glance.
West Palm Beach
A Florida judge has ordered a man to remove a crass account of his relationship with a former Miss Vermont from his Web site. The beauty queen, Katy Johnson, made a name for herself by encouraging teens to save sex for marriage. The man, Tucker Max, claims he and Johnson had a steamy affair in South Florida, where she lives. He posted the sordid details on the Internet to boost sales of his book, The Definitive Book of Pick-Up Lines. Judge Diana Lewis ordered Max to delete the explicit account from his Web site, Tuckermax.com. One legal expert said the ruling was “clearly a suppression of free speech.” Johnson’s lawyer said Max’s story was untrue, and that the ruling should discourage “parasitic smut peddlers who live off the good names of others.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
Why Vladimir Putin lost out to Taylor Swift as Time's Person of the Year
Talking Point Magazine commends the singer for being 'a source of light in a time of darkness'
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
The best Christmas horror movies
The Week Recommends These bloody good horror flicks put a dark spin on the holiday
By Brendan Morrow Published
-
What to know about the new FAFSA
The Explainer The new and allegedly improved Free Application for Federal Student Aid is finally slated to launch by the end of 2023
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published