Bloggers and others exercising their freedom of expression should not forget that freedom involves responsibilities, and that the wide-open reaches of the Internet are not beyond the reach of the law.
A Victoria man was found guilty this week of breaching a publication ban on evidence presented at a preliminary hearing of a priest who was later convicted of sexually touching a young person.
He had twice posted information containing specific allegations to a website that covers sex-abuse scandals and betrayals of trust in the Roman Catholic Church.
The final disposition of the blogger’s case depends on the outcome of a challenge to the constitutionality of the section of the Criminal Code dealing with publication bans.
Regardless, the judge has found that the blogger was aware of the ban and published the evidence intentionally.
The ease with which information can be published on the Internet might lead some to think there are no restrictions, but writing something in a blog is no different than printing it in a newspaper or broadcasting it on TV. It is still publishing and is subject to the pertinent laws.
Freedom of expression does not include the freedom to publish information that will interfere with the judicial process or endanger people’s well-being, privacy or reputations. Libel on the Internet is still libel. The ease of cut-and-paste does not override copyrights.
The Internet has vastly expanded the scope for freedom of expression, but the technical ease of that expression has not erased the responsibility to be truthful, ethical and law-abiding.
