A hazard of the trade has just become very real. Last week, a fellow blogger was charged for libel before the courts of law. That means the charges against her (she's an eighteen year old blogger) has been elevated from the prosecutor's office to the court. A full blown hearing is expected (if its not dismissed by the judge) and this blogger shall surely be watching its progress.
I cannot say much about it (the post subject of the libel case) as everything is now sub judice but in my opinion its a case of David versus Goliath. A teenager against a family of politicians and government bigwigs, but then the truth shall set you free. We call it the proof of truth and its a major line of defense in libel cases. So, whoever is telling the truth has the upper hand.
I receive this piece of news with mixed feelings. I have always been a firm believer of writing with responsibility and bloggers are not exempt. Unlike, however, with major dailies and publications, not all bloggers come equipped with a a full legal team to evaluate all articels (in this case posts) to check if its libel-free. Everything sometimes become free-wheeling and some bloggers become vulnerable to lawsuits and, worse, criminal charges. So what's the solution? Bloggers should be treated differently from the mainstream media and have a separate set of standards owing to the very unique features of the Internet which is the bloggers venue. I'm not saying that they should be treated with kid's gloves but legislation should be made recognizing that the Internet is not the mainstream media and that not all who post on the Internet are journalists. We have a lot of wise guys in government, they are sure to figure something out, meanwhile bloggers should now beware. Not everyone have a good sense of humour.
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