Last week I was invited into the Sky News central London studio to discuss free speech and ‘trolling’ on social media. The segment had been prompted by a report by Sky journalist Martin Brunt into a ‘dossier’ of alleged abuse of Kate and Gerry McCann, the parents of missing Madeleine.
During the discussion I made the distinction between tweets that were abusive or threatening on the one hand, and others that were merely ‘offensive’. I cited the Crown Prosecution Service guidelines on when to prosecute, and also warned at the development of ‘privatised censorship’ where different ideological groups use poorly-worded laws to threaten each other with prosecution.
A viewer recorded the segment off the TV and uploaded it to YouTube.
Immediately following this interview, I recieved several messages on Twitter, both supportive and negative. This person managed to combine both sentiments:
https://twitter.com/JuneStrenger/status/518005667769376768
In response to the discussions I had with several interlocutors, I wrote:
Before my @SkyNews appearance I had no idea of the level of passion that exists around the McGanns.
— Robert Sharp रॉबर्ट शार्प (@robertsharp59) October 3, 2014
Its right that those that wish to are able to question the conduct of *everyone* involved (parents, police, portuguese)…
— Robert Sharp रॉबर्ट शार्प (@robertsharp59) October 3, 2014
… but its equally right that those seeking to support Dr & Mrs McCann are able to do so online.
— Robert Sharp रॉबर्ट शार्प (@robertsharp59) October 3, 2014
Supporter or skeptic there is a value in civil, polite discourse, which in both cases is likely to result in more people listening.
— Robert Sharp रॉबर्ट शार्प (@robertsharp59) October 3, 2014
However, people have a right to be offensive. From J.Swift to H.Mantel, writing shocking things is often a good way to persuade
— Robert Sharp रॉबर्ट शार्प (@robertsharp59) October 3, 2014
Finally: Being offensive is not the same as harassment or threats.
— Robert Sharp रॉबर्ट शार्प (@robertsharp59) October 3, 2014
I also complained that, as yet, the dossier at the centre of the story has not been made public, making it difficult for a disinterested person such as myself to form a view on whether the tweets complained of were offensive, abusive, threatening… or simply rude.
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