Can the truth be defamatory?
news.com.au writes:
TRAVELLERS who post scathing reviews or comments about hotels or restaurants could be exposing themselves to long and costly legal battles.
Media lawyer David Poulton, from MinterEllison Lawyers, said people making defamatory comments on sites such Tripadvisor and Twitter have little protection from the websites concerned.
He said there had been many cases where restaurant reviewers had been sued for harsh reviews in newspapers and magazines, and amateurs were also vulnerable.
It always fascinates me when businesses choose to sue someone for critique, rather than listening to that customer in hope to improve their products and/or services. To me that sends out a clear message that I should stay away from that business at all cost. As a consumer, how can you really trust a business that rather want to sue you than listen to you? Many companies actually rely on their customers to give them feedback, good and bad, to improve their products and/or services.
I don’t think I’ve written anything that could be considered defamatory, but I wouldn’t really care if I did. Sometimes it is a thin line between the truth and slander, but in the end there is a reason why someone might be a very harsh critique.
If you have something to say, say it!
