Defamatory, out of context news article

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Case study of defamatory, out of context news articles

When a newspaper article is extracted from its original context, it has the potential to be manipulated to convey a defamatory message. This manipulation can occur either intentionally or unintentionally and may result in adverse consequences for the individuals involved. In such instances, it becomes crucial to contemplate the ramifications of distorting a statement's context, as it can be employed to unjustly depict someone or an event in a negative manner. Furthermore, it is essential to uphold the principle that individuals possess the right to have their words and actions accurately represented. If an individual believes that a newspaper article has been taken out of context, resulting in a defamatory interpretation, they may have legal options available to challenge the inaccuracies in the news report.

Falsely accused of Islamophobia

Legal action for defamation over our of context news reports

Does context matter when the defence of truth is raised to a defamation claim

Negotiating a settlement to a defamation claim

Falsely accused of Islamophobia

Our client attended a demonstration in Central London in support of a political issue. During the demonstration, a journalist for a prominent French newspaper used his mobile telephone to take pictures of our client. He then entered a conversation with her which lasted for approximately 10 minutes.

During the conversation, the journalist asked our client questions about the reasons for her attendance at the demonstration and how she had felt about some of the posters that had been displayed by other demonstrators, which could have been perceived as offensive to some members of the public.

Shortly after the conversation with our client, the journalist published a short article in a prominent French newspaper and a tweet from his Twitter account which included a selective part of the conversation he had conducted with our client. The newspaper article referred to a sentence, which was said by our client to the journalist and which was taken out of context to create the impression that she was racist and Islamophobic. The tweet included her picture attending the demonstration and the very same sentence which appeared in the newspaper article.

As a result of the tweet and the newspaper articles, our client lost her employment and was accused on social media and in-person of being racist and Islamophobic. She also became a target of hate crimes by various Twitter users.

Legal action for defamation over our of context news report

This matter arose following our client's attendance at a Brexit rally in 2019. She was approached by a journalist and following a discussion about Brexit and views that had been expressed by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, she found herself embroiled in a defamation claim when the journalist, who was from France, published an article in a French newspaper and a tweet which implied that our client was Islamophobic.

A photograph of our client was attached to the tweet and to the newspaper article. The allegation was vehemently denied by our client throughout the claim as she claimed that her words, although said, were taken out of context by the journalist and therefore the publication, particularly on Twitter had created a defamatory meaning. After our firm threatened the journalist and the newspaper with legal action for defamation, the journalist stated that should a claim be brought against him, he would rely on the defence of truth.

Does context matter when the defence of truth is raised to a defamation claim

Yes. Context matters when using the defence of truth in a defamation claim. The defence of truth to a defamation claim is based on the notion that truth is an absolute defence against defamation. This means that if a published statement is true, it cannot be considered defamatory. However, context is an important factor when determining whether a statement is true. The context of the statement must be taken into account in order to determine if the statement is true.

For example, if a statement is made out of context, it may be considered false and thus a potential source of defamation. Additionally, the context of the statement can affect the meaning of the statement, meaning that a statement may not be considered true if taken out of the context in which it was originally stated. Therefore, when determining whether a statement is true for the purposes of a defence to a defamation claim, you must consider the context under which the statement was made and particularly whether by publishing a concise version of the statement, the actual context of the original statement hadn’t been changed to create a defamatory meaning.

Defamation claims are often defended by invoking the defence of truth, that is, the defendant can prove that the statement they made is true. When making this defence, context is an important factor to consider. The courts recognise that the same words, or even the same statement, can be interpreted differently depending on the context in which it was made. This means that when using the defence of truth, the defendant must be able to demonstrate that the statement is true, and also that the context of the statement is relevant to the claim. This can be challenging as it requires the defendant to provide evidence of the context in which the statement was made. Ultimately, the context in which the statement is made can be a determining factor in whether the defence of truth

Negotiating a settlement to a defamation claim

Successfully navigating a potential defamation claim is no easy task, and can be costly. While the actual outcome of a defamation claim is difficult to predict, a key factor to achieving a successful outcome is to question the validity of a defence put forth by a newspaper publisher.

Generally, a newspaper publisher will defend themselves against a defamation claim by citing defences such as truth, opinion, fair comment or absolute privilege. In order to determine whether one of these defences is valid, a thorough analysis of the facts and the law must be conducted. It is important to consider the context of the statement made, as well as whether the statement was made in good faith or with malicious intent. It is also important to consider issues such as the public interest in the statement.

In this case, after numerous communications with the newspaper, the news editor and the journalist in question agreed to delete the defamatory tweet and the numerous comments it had attracted. They also deleted our client's name from the newspaper article as part of a confidential settlement agreement. In this case, it was particularly important to achieve vindication for our client as the impact of defamation on her resulted in the loss of employment and significantly damaged her mental health.

To secure her vindication, without causing further unnecessary publication of the matter, our lawyers obtained from the newspaper editor a confidential letter that she could disclose to selected individuals on a need basis. The publishers also agreed to pay our client damages and provided an undertaking to not repeat the defamatory allegations again. Our client was pleased with the outcome and the way by which some of the initial legal difficulties were overcome. They were particularly pleased with the strategic approach our lawyers took and their persistence, perseverance and determination to have the matter successfully resolved without having to attend a defamation trial.

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