TAKE NOTE: WHEN WRITING A REVIEW, A POST AND A TWEET – LIBEL AND DEFAMATORY – CASE WON REPORT
Reviews are very important to each and every business. A review most often informs and influences others to make a choice. so, having recognised the value of a review and not being one normally, at all, to post things that could be topically sensitive or of opinion it is always sad to read how many keyboard warriors often display a growing trend of bullying on-line social media via REVIEWS on Businesses, Products Sold and general day to day exchanges. A land slide victory of a news worthy item of a LIBEL case published (March 10th 2017) comes to mind. Although this is now a few years ago, the law still applies to date.
Bullying is a tactic used by cowardly, key board warriors, sometimes singularly and sometimes in groups. It’s not confined to the playground! More and more these days people are using social media to bully, cause distress and feel they have a right to write anything they want as an opinion borne on little or more often that not, no truth or evidence.
People are asked daily and freely to write REVIEWS on services or goods. People TWEET and sometimes these types of postings are written with a venomous pen. There are some people who use social media to blaspheme nasty viewpoints onto others just because they can. Although social media platforms have policies that supposedly support posts and reviews that should be positive in content, there are many posts that slip through that are clearly defamatory and libellous.
The UK law system views libel and defamation VERY seriously. It was clear to see from the headline news of (March 10th 2017), just how seriously they do! LIBEL is not local court it’s High Court. High Court Rulings will cost greatly in more ways than one when a malicious few words intent on harming, upsetting, effecting business, defamatory in nature and therefore LIBEL by one person to another is published. Karma is a wonderful thing and well done to the British Justice System for recognising this. In the 2017 case, those few words of nastiness cost the acid tongued person in question…..a fortune!! Support your local businesses and if you have something on your mind that you feel should be rectified, talk to the business owner first to see how an amicable conclusion could be met.