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Pianist Asks Washington Post To Remove Review Under "Right To Be Forgotten"

Posted by timothy on from the gifted-and-profoundly-sensitive dept.

Goatbert writes with word that pianist Dejan Lazic, unhappy with the opinion of Post music critic Anne Midgette, "has asked the Washington Post to remove an old review from their site in perhaps the best example yet of why it is both a terrible ruling and concept." It’s the first request The Post has received under the E.U. ruling. It’s also a truly fascinating, troubling demonstration of how the ruling could work. “To wish for such an article to be removed from the internet has absolutely nothing to do with censorship or with closing down our access to information,” Lazic explained in a follow-up e-mail to The Post. Instead, he argued, it has to do with control of one’s personal image — control of, as he puts it, “the truth.” (Here is the 2010 review to which Lazic objects.)

6 of 257 comments (clear)

  1. its terrible by NotInHere · · Score: 5, Informative

    when the pianist succeeds. This is clearly a case where the "right to be forgotten" conflicts public interest.

    1. Re:its terrible by Dunbal · · Score: 5, Informative

      It's not outdated - the date is right on the article.

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      Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
  2. Did anyone think it wouldn't work this way ? by Crashmarik · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Overwhelmingly you are going to have people with mis deeds wanting to have those deleted from history. Just imagine the Enron principals decide to emigrate and have their histories expunged ?

  3. No kidding by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Who would ever have thought that people would use "right to be forgotten" as a way to eliminate any and all negative comments about themselves, and turn the internet into their personal P.R. machine? This wasn't even an unforeseen consequences, it was a dead lock that people would attempt to squelch any opposition.

    I'm shocked, I tell you.

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    The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
  4. The saddest thing about this by Prune · · Score: 5, Insightful

    is that the review has within it significant amount of praise, and the criticism is mostly constructive. The pianist should have taken this as a learning opportunity more than anything else. The critic closes the review with what is basically an encouragement for the pianist to not limit his considerable aptitude at the keys to mere showmanship, and to strive for true greatness. I don't know the current stage of professional development of this pianist, but there are two main possibilities: either he's not improved since the review, or he has. If the former, he has no one to blame but himself, and more recent reviews would probably be in line with this one--so why single it out? If the latter, then this review should not be seen as a black mark on his career, but a historical point of reference and a symbol of his continued improvement--so again, why try to hide it? The trappings of the ego often end up working against its owner.

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    "Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason."
  5. Re:As many have pointed out... by easyTree · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's nice that there's now an official mechanism for invoking the Streisand Effect.

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    Requiem for the American Dream