Tomorrow: Balancing Protections For Media Freedom and Against Online Harms in Defamation Law

18/07/2022

Webinar - 19 July 2022

The Human Rights Committee is pleased to host a CPD on ‘Balancing Protections For Media Freedom and Against Online Harms in Defamation Law' tomorrow Tuesday, 19 July at 5.15 pm.

Defamation law is a complex and evolving area which has traditionally involved the balancing of a plaintiff's right to reputation with broader free speech concerns. Whilst it is an area of private law, both here and in other jurisdictions, there is an increasing focus on the human rights impact of our defamation law framework, most notably in the areas of speech protection and media freedom. This has led to a two-stage reform process with a current focus on defamation law, and the challenges posed online such as with social media publications. At the end of 2021 the High Court's decision in Voller generated further concerns about the translation of traditional defamation law principles to social media settings. In this case, media defendants were found to be liable for defamatory material published by third parties in comments on Facebook pages the media companies operated. This CPD will analyse the impact of the decision in Voller and consider whether and how current law reform proposals might address the difficult balance between protections for media freedom and against online harms. The seminar will also consider other avenues for reform, including an earlier Commonwealth proposal for social media legislation and problems arising from overlapping processes.

Confirmed speakers include Sue Chrysanthou SC, Louise Goodchild and Professor David Rolph.

For further information or to register for the webinar, please click here.