Ian Thorpe has apparently decided to sue a French newspaper, L’Equipe, for defamation over an article which they published last year.
This goes nicely with the media law unit we are currently doing at school. I’d be interested to hear what all you journos think. Defamatory? Injurious falsehood? Is it reported accurately?
2 Comments
August 15, 2008 at 6:18 pm
Fantastic, Luke. Many thanks – I’ll copy this on to Blackboard – with due attribution, of course.
JT
August 4, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Plainly defamatory, Luke, and dangerous given the case is not resolved.
Unless the outlet can prove what it says is true, of course.
Their lawyer would have been demanding some solid documentation prior to publication, I assume. When you damage the reputation of a sporting superstar you better be sure of your grounds.
One complication in cases of “international” defamation is that action for damages has to be pursued in the country where the libel originated. French law is different from British Commonwealth law, so I’m not sure how Thorpe would fare if he sued in the French courts.