I don't think many people's commitment to free speech would extend to the publication of outright lies and untrue personal smears, but while the internet has certainly made it easier to sprerad such things to a wider audience, malicious gossip is hardly a new thing, as rumours about Edward II's sexuality or Anne Bolyn's deformaty managed to spread without it.

In more recent times the power of a well timed lie has possibly led to decisive election results, as with the Zinoviev letter, or the Agent Boot smears, although the second may have been less important. SInce its impossible to stop I suppose it will be more effective for people to develop a more incisive sense of what is real or false, and try, as best they can, to determine one from the other.