Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Guilty Plea in Rehtaeh Parsons Case

The news, which as far as I can tell Canadas's major news organizations have yet to mention , is here.

As to the controversy around Anonymous' efforts to keep this case open and whether it amounted to on-line vigilantism,, I wrote at the time:

One thing that seems to have been overlooked is that much of the bullying took place over Facebook and other on-line forums.  Presumably Anon has IDed the four by digging through their on-line traces, and presumably, should they reveal their identities, they will do this on the basis of the material they have found, perhaps by re-publishing it.  If so, they will merely be regurgitating public statements made by the four suspects. I see nothing wrong with that.  I certainly don't see how it qualifies as vigilantism.

In fact, I think Selley and co. are ignoring the free speech angle in all of this.  They are essentially telling Anonymous (or whoever might identity the four males, as apparently there is more that one group looking for them) to self-censor the results of their on-line investigative work.  This is particularly hypocritical in Selley's case; he has always ready to go to the wall for the right to spew hate speech.  He is now asking that folks who may be in a position to forward the cause of Justice to keep their mouths shut.  That's hypocrisy of the worst sort.

Can't see anything wrong with that today.  Anon just did what the nation's journalist community should have done, if they hadn't been doing whatever it is they do nowadays, and call a job.


1 comment:

deb said...

it does seem to be sadly lacking, I guess its not garish and dramatic, this guilty plea, not say like pictures of a dead girl on facebook