Re: Code of Conduct at events

* Ian Jackson <ijackson(at)chiark(dot)greenend(dot)org(dot)uk> [101111 17:35]:
> > Which is only one of the crimes you can be found guilty of if you
> > denounce people publically (what the conditions are that you will be
> > convicted will depend on the jurisdiction in question, though).
>
> I don't know how things are in your jurisdiction, but even in Britain
> which has notoriously harsh libel laws, merely denouncing an
> unconvicted person is certainly not criminally punishable.
>
> Even denouncing a person who has been acquitted can be perfectly
> defensible; even in the UK, in a libel trial you will only be called
> upon to demonstrate that what you said was true on the balance of
> probabilities.

As I said, the actual conditions will depend on the jurisdiction.
But if not being a witness yourself and before court convicted someone,
I'd not suggest to tell the public some did something (but at most tell
them someone is accused of something (I do not know if the English
speaking press is over-using "alledged" as much as the German press is
sometimes over-using "mutmaßlich", but there is some importance in such
distinctions)).

Besides from that everyone has some right to control what is reported
about them, which routinely has to be balanced with the press' right
and public interests. Even reports about someone having been convicted
are here only allowed to be reported with the name of the convicted if
it is important enough and current (and then allowed to be stored in
public accessible archives, but only when it still was current and not
retroactively).

Bernhard R. Link