[WikiEN-l] RE: Corrected

Thu May 5 23:19:29 UTC 2005

Exactly the reason why I keep Internet and real life seperate.

On 5/6/05, Stan Shebs <shebs at apple.com> wrote:
> slimvirgin at gmail.com wrote:
> 
> >On 5/5/05, David Gerard <fun at thingy.apana.org.au> wrote:
> >
> >>This legal talk is entirely irrelevant to the issue at hand ...
> >>There is an encyclopedic interest issue at stake. Will relevant
> >>
> >information be removed from an article because an exposed fraud's ego
> >is bruised?
> >
> >David, regarding the issue of encyclopedic interest: public figures
> >are treated very differently by journalists, particularly in the U.S.
> >where libel law is quite different when it comes to public figures,
> >but also in other countries where there's no distinction in law.
> >Public figures are seen to some extent as fair game, whereas the right
> >of private individuals to retain their privacy and dignity is
> >respected by good journalists, so even if some demonstrably true
> >titbit comes their way, they'll hesitate to use it if it would damage
> >a private person, provided there's no public-interest issue at stake.
> >
> I would say anybody who posts to Usenet automatically becomes
> a "public figure"; you can hardly spew your thoughts and opinions
> into a million computers around the world, then try to claim
> "privacy". If you want to be private, start by keeping your
> mouth shut, eh?
> 
> I had that brought home to me many years ago when one of my
> heated arguments on Usenet was brought up in a job interview.
> (Fortunately, the interviewer agreed with my points.)
> 
> Stan
> 
> 
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