Libel: Difference between revisions
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'''Libel''' is the publishing of statements that have a negative effect on someone's life, which usually means their reputation. The exact rules for what constitutes "publishing", "negative effect" and "reputation" vary from place to place. | '''Libel''' is the publishing of statements that have a negative effect on someone's life, which usually means their reputation. The exact rules for what constitutes "publishing", "negative effect" and "reputation" vary from place to place. Threatening to file libel actions creates so-called [[libel chill]] - a tactic which varies in effectiveness depending on strength of local libel laws: | ||
In some places, notably Ontario, Canada, libel laws are so loose that even just telling the ''truth'' can still leave one open to libel charges. An example was Garth Drabinsky, founder of Livent Productions, whose accounting was called "questionable" by a stock market analyst - Drabinsky sued in Ontario, and, successfully shut up the critics - putting a "chill" on them all. Years later, the head of the US Securities and Exchange commission called the same accounting "smoke and mirrors to put any of his productions to shame" in the course of a fraud probe (which Drabinsky evaded by staying in Ontario and not visiting the US to face the charges). So clearly, true statements on the record were successfully hidden using Ontario's too-liberal libel laws... and even saying true things about anyone who can sue in Ontario is dangerous. (People come from all over the world to sue in Ontario, actually, and as a result it has become the home of some rather notorious fraud artists...) | In some places, notably Ontario, Canada, libel laws are so loose that even just telling the ''truth'' can still leave one open to libel charges. An example was Garth Drabinsky, founder of Livent Productions, whose accounting was called "questionable" by a stock market analyst - Drabinsky sued in Ontario, and, successfully shut up the critics - putting a "chill" on them all. Years later, the head of the US Securities and Exchange commission called the same accounting "smoke and mirrors to put any of his productions to shame" in the course of a fraud probe (which Drabinsky evaded by staying in Ontario and not visiting the US to face the charges). So clearly, true statements on the record were successfully hidden using Ontario's too-liberal libel laws... and even saying true things about anyone who can sue in Ontario is dangerous. (People come from all over the world to sue in Ontario, actually, and as a result it has become the home of some rather notorious fraud artists...) | ||