Lachlan Murdoch’s defamation proceedings against Crikey promised to be a test case on the new public interest defence. Following Murdoch’s discontinuation of his claim in April, the scope and application of the public interest defence to defamation await another appropriate vehicle. Continue reading
The International Forum for Responsible Media Blog
Tag: David Rolph (Page 1 of 2)
At the heart of the spectacular defamation trial brought by decorated Australian soldier Ben Roberts-Smith were two key questions. Had the Age, the Sydney Morning Herald and the Canberra Times damaged his reputation when they published in 2018 a series of explosive stories accusing him of murder and other crimes while in Afghanistan? And could the newspapers successfully defend their reporting as true? Continue reading
Former Liberal Party staffer Bruce Lehrmann has been given the all-clear to continue with defamation proceedings against several media outlets and journalists regarding reporting about Brittany Higgins’ rape allegations. Continue reading
A publisher can be held responsible for defamatory comments readers leave on its Facebook pages, the High Court of Australia ruled today, in a decision that could have far-reaching consequences for social media users throughout Australia. Continue reading
David Ipp, the former judge and anti-corruption commissioner, once wrote that “defamation litigation is a fact of Australian life”. Whatever our self-perception may be that we are a laid-back people, many of us are swift to threaten defamation action. Continue reading
The UK, Canada, and New Zealand have developed a broader qualified privilege public interest defence … Australia lags in this development, although there are special local impediments … Durie v Gardiner in NZ holds there is nothing special about government or political speech that should not be applied to the protection of all speech … Waiting for the proper case in Australia … Professor David Rolph comments. Continue reading
Twitter may well be the “Wild West” of social media. Certainly, anyone who has spent even a little time on it will be aware that there are a lot of people out there with most decided views who are willing to share them, frequently and stridently. Continue reading
The long-awaited decision in Cynthia Prior v Queensland University of Technology (No 2) was handed down last Friday. Continue reading
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