David Eaves wrote in part, in an article Dec., 2009,
The Supreme Court of Canada: There are no journalists, only citizens about Internet libel laws:
...Supreme Court of Canada ruled that a libel claim can be defeated even when the facts or allegations made turn out to be false... as long as the story was in the public interest and I met a certain standard around trying to ascertain the truth. In short, my intentions, not my output, is what matters most.
This new line of defense has a fancy new name to go with it... the defence of responsible communication....
Notice how it isn't called "the defence of responsible journalism?" (although, ahem, someone should let CTV know). This story matters as it demonstrates that the law is finally beginning to grasp what the internet means for our democracy and society.
Sadly, the Globe, CBC, National Post and CTV (indeed everyone with the exception of Colby Cosh at Macleans) all framed the decision as being about journalism and journalists.
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