Slashdot Mirror
In Britain, Better Not Call It Bogus Science
Geoffrey.landis writes 'In Britain, libel laws are censoring the ability of journalists to write stories about bogus science. Simon Singh, a Ph.D. physicist and author of several best-selling popular-science books, is currently being sued by the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) for saying that there is no evidence for claims that visiting a chiropractor has health benefits. A year earlier, writer Ben Goldacre faced a libel suit for an article critical of Matthias Rath, who claimed that vitamin supplements can treat HIV and AIDS in place of conventional drugs like anti-retrovirals. In Britain, libel laws don't have any presumption of innocence — any statement made is assumed to be false unless you prove it's true. Journalists are running scared.'
Yeah, everyone in the world knows their legal system is busted. Why do they even have free speech, if they can silence people with lawsuits?
...in The People's Republic of Britannia.
I want a new quote. One that won't spill. One that don't cost too much. Or come in a pill.
The article you link to says, among other things, "In law, a person is defamed if statements in a publication expose him to hatred or ridicule, cause him to be shunned, lower him in the estimation in the minds of "right-thinking" members of society or disparage him in his work." Note that there is nothing in that quote that implies that the statements must be false, as there would be in the US. If an English newspaper were to publish an article showing that a prominent politician was a transvestite, with photographs, they'd still be sued for libel, and they'd lose because what they published defamed said politician and that's all that matters there. Yes, you can try to prove that what you printed was true, but if the truth is sufficiently defamatory, it won't be enough.
Good, inexpensive web hosting
True dat. There are too many computer geeks here. They don't know shit besides fucking around with a computer, but they think they know everything. They don't like their abundant ignorance rubbed in their faces.
Similar to the upcoming US election results
It's funny because, if you've watched Outfoxed, this very legal argument is why no one has been able to bring a libel or defamation suit against Bill O'Reilly. He's a pathological liar, and it's impossible to prove he's intending to harm people with his lies and doesn't actually believe what he's saying.