Sysop
11-21-2011, 01:13 AM
Greetings,
First, I'd like to thank everyone for their support of LEOAFFAIRS, as we just celebrated our 9 year anniversary.
It has come to my attention that there is a question by some when posting newspaper articles on this site, libel and slander. I'm also aware that some posters on this forum are violating our rules, so I'd like to set the record straight.
If you post information from a news media source (i.e. newspaper) it is the author of the material who is responsible for its content. Although most sources have some kind of restriction with the re-posting of their material, you should always give them credit when doing so (list the date, source and author).
Here on LEOAFFAIRS we allow the discussion of current news topics even if they involve police officers. How much sense would it make if you could talk about the news story everywhere else but the law enforcement website LEOAFFAIRS? I've found that many positives can come from such dialogue and that there can be a therapeutic value as well. We usually try to keep such news items down to one (1) string or topic. That said, there is no need to rehash this news after it is no longer news. If the officer did wrong and was disciplined, he has paid his price and I see no need to dredge this information back up so he/she has to live through it again. They have paid their debt and it's over...let's move on. If they were cleared of any wrongdoing and you are selectively re-posting slanted news items to damage their credibility, there is a good argument that your actions are libelous and it goes without saying that you are violating our Terms of Use.
Written defamation of character is of course libel while verbal is slander. LEOAFFAIRS has never been forced to reveal a user's IP address in over 9 years of operation. We even fought a sheriff's office for 1 year to prevent the release of records and won. If you are violating our Terms of Use and/or committing a crime, we cannot offer you the same amount of protection. So, please post within the rules and remember that you are ultimately responsible for what you write. If your post violates our Terms of Use, your post will be deleted and you could be banned.
There is no rule on posting people's names and there never has been. It is the context of the post that is important and determines whether or not you are violating the Terms of Use. If I posted that Sgt. Sam Bynum is a good supervisor, there is nothing wrong with that. However, if I said that Sgt. Bynum was incompetent, that would be a slam against an individual and it would be removed and the poster banned. If there is only one female in the marine unit and you make reference to the marine female being ugly, the same would apply since she is easily identifiable.
I hope this clarification helps and trust that you will use this site constructively as it was intended.
Thanks for your support!
First, I'd like to thank everyone for their support of LEOAFFAIRS, as we just celebrated our 9 year anniversary.
It has come to my attention that there is a question by some when posting newspaper articles on this site, libel and slander. I'm also aware that some posters on this forum are violating our rules, so I'd like to set the record straight.
If you post information from a news media source (i.e. newspaper) it is the author of the material who is responsible for its content. Although most sources have some kind of restriction with the re-posting of their material, you should always give them credit when doing so (list the date, source and author).
Here on LEOAFFAIRS we allow the discussion of current news topics even if they involve police officers. How much sense would it make if you could talk about the news story everywhere else but the law enforcement website LEOAFFAIRS? I've found that many positives can come from such dialogue and that there can be a therapeutic value as well. We usually try to keep such news items down to one (1) string or topic. That said, there is no need to rehash this news after it is no longer news. If the officer did wrong and was disciplined, he has paid his price and I see no need to dredge this information back up so he/she has to live through it again. They have paid their debt and it's over...let's move on. If they were cleared of any wrongdoing and you are selectively re-posting slanted news items to damage their credibility, there is a good argument that your actions are libelous and it goes without saying that you are violating our Terms of Use.
Written defamation of character is of course libel while verbal is slander. LEOAFFAIRS has never been forced to reveal a user's IP address in over 9 years of operation. We even fought a sheriff's office for 1 year to prevent the release of records and won. If you are violating our Terms of Use and/or committing a crime, we cannot offer you the same amount of protection. So, please post within the rules and remember that you are ultimately responsible for what you write. If your post violates our Terms of Use, your post will be deleted and you could be banned.
There is no rule on posting people's names and there never has been. It is the context of the post that is important and determines whether or not you are violating the Terms of Use. If I posted that Sgt. Sam Bynum is a good supervisor, there is nothing wrong with that. However, if I said that Sgt. Bynum was incompetent, that would be a slam against an individual and it would be removed and the poster banned. If there is only one female in the marine unit and you make reference to the marine female being ugly, the same would apply since she is easily identifiable.
I hope this clarification helps and trust that you will use this site constructively as it was intended.
Thanks for your support!