The story below appeared at the weekend in Donegal on Sunday, from the same stable of newspapers as the Donegal Democrat and Donegal Peoples’ Press and, as far as I know, the only provincial title published on a Sunday. It’s a classic of its type, a story that manages to say nothing. There was an… Continue reading Full disclosure
Tag: defamation
Failure to communicate
I attended a seminar on the chilling effects of libel this evening, hosted by the Science Gallery in TCD. Simon Singh spoke about his successful fight against the British Chiropractic Association, and Peter Wilmshurst spoke of his ongoing battle with NMT Medical, a US medical devices maker. Two lawyers also addressed the gathering. After a… Continue reading Failure to communicate
Willie Woes
Green party senator Dan Boyle used his twitter account to express his frustration after the government won a Dáil vote of confidence in Defence minister Willie O’Dea earlier today. The Cork-based politician said he was “not happy with what happened today” using the online messaging service. “As regards to Minister O’Dea I don’t have confidence… Continue reading Willie Woes
Tús Maith
A nascent campaign to repeal the constitutional provision on blasphemy has received support from an unexpected source: the Anglican Bishop of Cork. Atheist Ireland, a group established ‘to build a rational, ethical and secular society free from superstition and supernaturalism’ has decided it will oppose the new law, signed by President McAleese today. And the… Continue reading Tús Maith
Any Other Business
It’s going to be an interesting week in Dáil Éireann. Desperate not to cut back on their holiday time,the government has opted instead to cut debating time, and plans to guillotine several bills into law by Friday. Among the highlights: The blasphemy clause in the Defamation bill, making it illegal to say naughty things if… Continue reading Any Other Business
Muddying the Waters: John Waters and Wikipedia
John Waters complained on RTÉ today that he was libelled on Wikipedia, and told by a lawyer there was no point suing on the interwebs. The trouble with Wikipedia, of course, is its revision history. Even after an entry is deleted or updated, it’s possible to see what once was written. On 30 September 2007,… Continue reading Muddying the Waters: John Waters and Wikipedia