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Comment by akudha

6 days ago

Why does it not make sense? If I was involved in a robbery at age 18, as a dumb kid, should I still be called "robber xyz" for the rest of my life? Especially if I turned my life around?

15 comments

akudha

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arrowsmith  6 days ago

I agree that we should be forgiving, give people second chances etc, but that doesn't change the meaning of words. "Defamation" is when you damage someone's reputation by saying things about them that aren't true. If you were convicted of a crime long ago and someone draws attention to that fact, they're not defaming you. The truth isn't defamation, by definition.

  • jolmg  6 days ago

    > but that doesn't change the meaning of words.

    Words can have multiple similar definitions with small variations. If I look up "defamation" I get:

    > Defamation is a legal term that refers to any statement made by a person, whether verbal or printed, that causes harm to another person’s reputation or character. --- https://legaldictionary.net/defamation/

    > Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions that are falsifiable, and can extend to concepts that are more abstract than reputation – like dignity and honour. --- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defamation

  • burkaman  6 days ago

    Calling someone a robber means they are currently a robber. It can be inaccurate and untrue in the same way that calling someone a bartender would be inaccurate and untrue if they are a lawyer who hasn't tended a bar in 20 years.

    I don't like the idea of prosecuting people for this, but I don't think it's illogical.

  • mkehrt  6 days ago

    > The truth isn't defamation, by definition. This is a famously American position.

    • arrowsmith  6 days ago

      I'm not American, and we're discussing a UK news story.

      But I genuinely didn't know that other countries do things differently. What does defamation even mean if it doesn't include the concept of untruth?

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