defamation - "is this true?"
A number of defamatory emails have been circulated recently in private
in various communities, not just Debian.
A number of people have been very kind to forward them to the people
concerned and simply ask "Is this true? Would you tell me what happened?"
An email sent on debian-private, or even encrypted to just one person,
can still be defamation. To qualify[1] as defamation, it only has to be
seen by one other person.
Even something that might be true or is partially true can be
defamation. How does it make you perceive the other person? Examples:
- an email stating "this person did something bad, we have secret evidence",
- an email stating somebody was demoted or disciplined, especially when
the outcome is disproportionate and the author of the email may have had
some role in imposing that outcome,
- even the wide-reaching email asking for information about another
developer earlier this month is probably an example of defamation,
similar emails sent privately about any developer would also be defamatory,
People have a tendency to trust emails from those in positions of
authority. In fact, it is correct to question those emails in exactly
the same way because even a small defamation by somebody in a prominent
role can do more damage than a big lie from somebody less well known.
I doubt that anybody wants to pursue a lawsuit for defamation, it could
even be perceived as another attempt at censorship. If they did, they
probably already have more than enough material to do so. Seeking out
the full story and letting people know you are one of those with an open
mind is simply the right thing to do and can help stop the rumours and
negativity more quickly. So please continue to privately ask what is
behind those emails.
Regards,
Daniel
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