On Mon, 13 Dec 2004 12:27:38 +1300 Dale Anderson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> As far as I recall it is legal to state your personal views re someone > else publically as long as you truely believe your statement > ...regardless of the content . "regardless of the content" goes too far. there are a number of things relevant here: 1. it is defamation to say something that lowers the target in the eyes of right thinking people generally: "X is a thief", "X is into bestaility", " Doctor X couldn't diagnose the common cold", "X the sysadmin couldn't secure a linux box if it was in a locked shipping container with no connection to the outside world". Just think what it would mean to your personal or business lives if someone said those things about you, and you will realise why. 2. it is a defence to defamation if the statement is true, but having said it you must prove it, a notoriously difficult task. 3. it is a defence to defamation if you are expressing a genuinely held opinion and express the reasons for the opinion " the latest record by Band G is awful because they have abandoned their blues roots and produced a poppy but shallow imitation of their glorious early albums". However it is easy to cross the line, as i imagine this might: "Band G have stooped to new depths with their loathsome new album. The lead singer sings like a cat with asthma which is only fitting for the crap played by her backing musicians. Clearly 'musicians' is not the right word for these creatures, they are blood sucking leeches on today's youth, selling out to corporate greed and their own ends." 4. there are also laws about how we behave in public, such as laws against offensive behaviour and language in public places, and laws about inciting racial hatred etc. > > Dale. -- Nick Rout <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
