WP are you able in a few words tell us what the legal people tell you on this?By having a link does it mean the assertion /statement made is out in the public domain and thus not just heresay
I think we've explained this many many times ...but....
Providing a link means it is the public domain and therefore we are not starting an unsubstantiated rumour or here say
As we have said many times posting something that cannot be substantiated by facts even in jest opens us up to possible legal action. Here we are talking about illegal activities, off field incidents, some thing that can damage a persons reputation etc
Just on 2 years ago now we had to deal with threat of legal action over a thread that was over 5 years old. Legal reps were checking all forum like this one to search for any type of reference to an incident where one of the news service reported something that was later proved to be false. In that case a link was posted here but it didn't stop us from being contacted. The news site had removed their references to the incident but it was never publicised and as a result we hadn't removed what was posted here.
That incident was an incredibly stressful time for us and we faced the real possibility of not only the site being closed down but ending up in court with a lawsuit.
Anyone who thinks that forums are not constantly being looked at by legal firms are kidding themselves
Our approach is very simple if it is out there in the public on a reputable source eg the main News sites then it can be posted and people can comment on it as long as they stick to the facts as known. However, we are certainly more vigilant if new services change there reporting of things now. If things reported change then we act.
In the simplest of terms posting a rumour that cannot be backed up and that can be claimed to be defamatory then we remove it. Because that's what we've been told is the best thing for the site. Anything that we are unsure or falls into what we call the grey area gets removed. No "ifs", "buts" or "maybes"
