Meet Me There Editor interviewed on ABC radio

[James]

I've been interviewed on three different ABC radio programs in Vic, NSW and ACT in the last four days, in relation to the recent High Court judgment that a reviewer defamed a restaurant by giving it a bad review.

It's been interesting, and the general consensus seems to be that we have to very careful what we write online as well as in traditional media. It's also been good to share a little bit of my excitement over Meet Me There with people more generally.

Did anyone hear one of the interviews? Or would you like to comment on the case at all?
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“Blessed are the Cheese Makers!” - Jesus, in the Life of Brian

[jsulte]

>in relation to the recent High Court judgment that >a reviewer defamed a restaurant by giving it a bad review

wow! really? so what was the verdict. is it ok for you to share it?

"freedom of speech". power to the people, i say. i really like this website and i want it to succeed not because i want to read GOOD reviews. i want to read HONEST reviews. what people actually thought about the places they ate at.

i know food taste is so objective, but in terms of the dining experience, im sure the majority will have quite a few things in common. level of service, atmosphere, quality of food and price, to name a few. there's nothing worse than having a really bad food experience, and having to fork out cash for it! then pay for it later!

and for someone to take you to court? thats just... ludicrous. if it was the Good Food Guide giving a bad review, they would probably take it on the chin, and work harder to gain a better review the next time around. but taking a pot at an internet forum, where anything can (and should) be expressed? thats just low, in my opinion.

anyway, hope it all turns out well for you.
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Jay Salt
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"Approach food and love with careless abandon"
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[James]

Hi Jay - sorry, I think I wasn't very clear in my first post - it's not me that got sued, it was journalist for a newspaper in Sydney, he wrote a bad review and the restaurant actually went out of business. Although it could have gone under because they made bad food, not just because they got bad reviews. There's a bit more info here.

The radio stations interviewed a law professor from Curtin University and asked him questions about the law and how defamation works. Then they had me on and basically asked "so, have you ever thought about getting sued?" It was interesting to talk with them about perceived differences between online publications and print - because although we all come under the same laws, I think few online reviewers or bloggers would understand what they are.
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“Blessed are the Cheese Makers!” - Jesus, in the Life of Brian