Much is made of “cancel culture” these days, but the biggest impediment to free expression in New Zealand isn’t an online mob fighting culture wars – it’s the cold, hard power wielded through our outdated defamation laws.
Like many laws, out defamation laws probably are worryingly outdated. However I have to say that if the law in this area was amended to better account for digital connectedness, its reach would likely expand rather than reduce, e.g. copyright.
On the face of it Talley's doesn't sound like a terribly endearing organisation, but then TVNZ's reputation for high quality, unbiased reporting isn't exactly squeaky clean. Ultimately though this appears to be yet another case of the law being unfairly leveraged by those with deep pockets, which hasn't as far as I'm aware been satisfactorily resolved anywhere.
Yes, well, at least its own Complaints Committee and then the Broadcasting Standards Authority dd not force TVNZ to issue successive grovelling apologies prior to any court action, as happened in the aftermath of the 29 April 1990 'For the Public Good' documentary on Rogernomics-era campaign financing. I'd be willing to bet that it took thirty years for the chilling effect of that case to wear off, and unfortunately in 2020/21 a TVNZ that had recovered its nerve found that it still had to go to court.
Not as a consequence of the “allegedly” defamatory reporting about Talleys by TVNZ but instead because of Talleys hostile attack on reporting as a ‘public interest’ necessity…I shall satisfy their claim at having suffered financial loss by never again buying any product produced by that secretive family of “allegedly” predatory capitalists and will publicise their dark arts predilections and encourage others to boycott them too. Thanks Bryce for that long list of historical context. Rather paints an unappealing picture of people who put profit over just about anything else.
I haven't been following this saga but this is a sickening example of one of several attempts to muzzle free speech. Thanks for the info.
Like many laws, out defamation laws probably are worryingly outdated. However I have to say that if the law in this area was amended to better account for digital connectedness, its reach would likely expand rather than reduce, e.g. copyright.
On the face of it Talley's doesn't sound like a terribly endearing organisation, but then TVNZ's reputation for high quality, unbiased reporting isn't exactly squeaky clean. Ultimately though this appears to be yet another case of the law being unfairly leveraged by those with deep pockets, which hasn't as far as I'm aware been satisfactorily resolved anywhere.
Yes, well, at least its own Complaints Committee and then the Broadcasting Standards Authority dd not force TVNZ to issue successive grovelling apologies prior to any court action, as happened in the aftermath of the 29 April 1990 'For the Public Good' documentary on Rogernomics-era campaign financing. I'd be willing to bet that it took thirty years for the chilling effect of that case to wear off, and unfortunately in 2020/21 a TVNZ that had recovered its nerve found that it still had to go to court.
Not as a consequence of the “allegedly” defamatory reporting about Talleys by TVNZ but instead because of Talleys hostile attack on reporting as a ‘public interest’ necessity…I shall satisfy their claim at having suffered financial loss by never again buying any product produced by that secretive family of “allegedly” predatory capitalists and will publicise their dark arts predilections and encourage others to boycott them too. Thanks Bryce for that long list of historical context. Rather paints an unappealing picture of people who put profit over just about anything else.