Friday 3 April 2009

An apology

Printed without prejudice...
  • In the comment's section of CairnsBlog published on Thursday 2nd April 2009, entitled Plastic surgery - answer to life's problems, I allowed the publication of certain statements about Dr Mark Doyle that were wholly untrue and inaccurate.

    I apologise to Dr Mark Doyle for any distress caused to him and to his family by those untrue statements. As a mark of the seriousness of the matter, I have removed the offending comment from
    the original story.

I would like to add further, that I reserve the right for any comments, that offend without fair cause, defame, incite hatred or defame, to use the commentor's access details to trace the originator.

I extend a full and free debate on CairnsBlog so we can all engage in a healthy and honest dialogue, with a minimum of moderation. Those wishing to participate in the online discussion, should be aware of my Posting Comments Policy.

4 comments:

Free Speech is Important said...

So a threatening letter from the doctor cuts off "free and open debate"? One letter and you fold like a cheap suit?? What didn't Doyle like, word about the penis implants, or info about his finances??

You're aware that legal rulings protect blog owners, aren't you?

Noj Nedlaw said...

Dear Free Speech

Yes free speech is important but so too are the rights of an individual. In our Australian society there is a strong presumption that people should be able to speak freely, especially in relation to public issues and even to an individual's behaviour in relation to these issues. Our lawmakers though, have recognised that there is a possibility for abuse of this freedom and thus we also have defamation laws.

I would assume that in this instance Mr. Moore has been threatened with defamation (over comments that he personally did not make by the way) over the blog posting. He has chosen to publish an apology, presumably after getting some form of legal advice - and that is his perogative. It's really not Mikes fight - rather that of "We all need Help".

It seems to me that "We all need Help" gets out of this scott free.

I like the fact that this blog allows us to post directly without every comment being moderated by Mr Moore. But that is a privilege that brings with it a responsibility. So we should all give thought to what we post and avoid those comments that may land Mr Moore in the deep do-dahs.

Wayne, KurandaT said...

Mrs/Miss/Mr 'Free Speech' if you want to publish highly defamatory material on your own website, go right ahead and cop the consequences.

No one needs to take lectures in publishing ethics or law from "noreply-comment@blogger.com"

Bryan Law said...

In the 1980s I spent about 3 months in prison for giving speeches in public without a permit from Joh Bjelke-Petersen.

I didn't see "Free Speech is Important" there, or anyone else who hides behind phoney names. "We All Need Help" certainly does, but is unlikely to receive it while confining his activities to the unaccountable defamation of others.