Defamation or libel?

[quincy]

Well, a newspaper might be trashed by a consumer and thought to be gone forever, but newspapers have always archived their papers, which is why you can read a paper that was written and published in the 1700s.

Defamation suits have, like archived papers, been around a long, long time and, if your friend was disturbed by the contents of the article fourteen years ago, he should have contacted an attorney and pursued legal action at that time (although I can understand the reasons why he perhaps didn't think it necessary).

You are right that, fourteen years ago, no one quite anticipated the extent to which the internet would be used to bring back a person's past. Making it easy for anyone and everyone to connect a single individual with old police records and court records, and making it easy to access old newspaper accounts of police incidents and court hearings involving that individual, has its plus sides. But there are also moral and ethical issues that still need to be addressed.

While history should not be rewritten or records deleted, I think that adding to old records and newspaper accounts, with notations or links to any updates, is something that is possible and could be considered - although this is hardly an easy thing to attempt and accomplish on any sort of widespread scale.

 

[south]

Quote: I think that adding to old records and newspaper accounts, with notations or links to any updates, is something that is possible and could be considered - although this is hardly an easy thing to attempt and accomplish on any sort of widespread scale.


I hear what your saying but posting more stuff about it is just going to spread the story more; even when people are told its not true it still gets the smirks...Yehhhh righhhhttt... its plain and simple damaging on the web whereas in old paper in an archive on microfish who cares.

 

[quincy]

You can't make people believe what they don't want to believe.

Trying to eradicate information that is already available for viewing on the internet is a bit of a futile task. You also get into issues of who decides what information should be freely available to the public and which information should remain private or barred from publication entirely.

Adding to a newspaper article is not going to give the news article any more prominence online than it would have had otherwise.

The best that anyone can do, to protect themselves from unflattering portraits online, is to not do anything that calls into question their character.

Don't commit a crime, don't get arrested for a crime, don't get charged with a crime. If you get arrested and charged falsely, fight it. If a newpaper writes about the arrest and charges, make sure a follow-up story is done on the exoneration. And don't wait fourteen years to do it.

In addition, it is important that you don't publish anything about yourself on Facebook or on MySpace or on any other social networking site that you do not want seen by your employer, your clients, your mom, and that you don't want preserved for all of history.

Users of the internet, and individuals in general, must learn to be smarter. Very little about any person's life is private, so users of the internet, and individuals in general, should try to make sure their very public life is camera-ready.

In other words, south, the internet is not going to go away anytime soon. People have to learn to deal with that fact.

 

[south]

Quote: Don't commit a crime, don't get arrested for a crime, don't get charged with a crime.

**You cannot avoid getting arrested for something that is a mistake people get arrested every day and are found later to be completely innocent, adding to an article is going to draw more attention to it

Quote: The best that anyone can do, to protect themselves from unflattering portraits online, is to not do anything that calls into question their character.

**That cannot be avoided if someone is running a check of your name to see business reputation in the market place.

Quote: The internet is not going to go away soon

** Stating that now is like closing the gate after the horse has bolted.

You can't make people believe what they don't want to believe.

Trying to eradicate information that is already available for viewing on the internet is a bit of a futile task. You also get into issues of who decides what information should be freely available to the public and which information should remain private or barred from publication entirely.

Adding to a newspaper article is not going to give the news article any more prominence online than it would have had otherwise.

The best that anyone can do, to protect themselves from unflattering portraits online, is to not do anything that calls into question their character.

Don't commit a crime, don't get arrested for a crime, don't get charged with a crime. If you get arrested and charged falsely, fight it. If a newpaper writes about the arrest and charges, make sure a follow-up story is done on the exoneration. And don't wait fourteen years to do it.

In addition, it is important that you don't publish anything about yourself on Facebook or on MySpace or on any other social networking site that you do not want seen by your employer, your clients, your mom, and that you don't want preserved for all of history.

Users of the internet, and individuals in general, must learn to be smarter. Very little about any person's life is private, so users of the internet, and individuals in general, should try to make sure their very public life is camera-ready.

In other words, south, the internet is not going to go away anytime soon. People have to learn to deal with that fact.

 

[quincy]

Appending an archived article does not draw more attention to the article or give the article any more prominence online than it had.

I can say that I have never been arrested, charged or convicted of a crime (falsely or otherwise), my background check shows no errors that would prevent me from obtaining employment, my internet image is clean, and I have existed far far longer than fourteen years, so I know that it is possible for a person to preserve and protect their personal and public reputation and image. This could, I suppose, be attributed to luck, but I know that if any false information was published about me, I would take care to see that it was corrected immediately and not simply wish it away for fourteen years.

Whatever the case, your friend did choose to wish the story away and he is apparently incredibly unlucky that the story is now appearing online with a search of his name. It is unfortunate that there is nothing he can do, legally or otherwise, to change this. I am not sure what else you expect anyone on this forum to tell you.

 

[south]

1: I can say that I have never been arrested, charged or convicted of a crime (falsely or otherwise), my background check shows no errors that would prevent me from obtaining employment, my internet image is clean, and I have existed far far longer than fourteen years, so I know that it is possible for a person to preserve and protect their personal and public reputation and image. This could, I suppose, be attributed to luck.

2: I am not sure what else you expect anyone on this forum to tell you.

1: Depends on how well known you are if you are lets say a hermit living in a mountain and of no importance its unlikely anyone would ever look up your name.

2: Nothing simply responding to suggestions ideas and remarks .... thank you



.

 

[quincy]

1. Being a hermit probably helps a person. Having an unblemished and uncontroversial personal and professional life can help those who aren't hermits.

2. You're welcome.

 

[south]

You managed to drift of the basis of the original question this is not a question about a guilty man its a question about a man falsely accused then found to be innocent how ever you seem to be drifting along the basis that if you do nothing wrong you cannot get into trouble..

Your wrong no one expects to be falsely accused of anything all the way down to being accused of passing wind but it happens.

1. Being a hermit probably helps a person. Having an unblemished and uncontroversial personal and professional life can help those who aren't hermits.

2. You're welcome.

 

[quincy]

Why are you still here, south?

(I'm thinking out loud - you do not have to respond)

 

[south]

Why are you still here, south?

(I'm thinking out loud - you do not have to respond)

Huh?? I'm thinking out loud too I am not here I am at the Whole Food Store..



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