Currently the actions of some bloggers and existing media law appear to be incompatible.

The Crown Law Office has received several complaints relating to coverage of the Clayton Weatherston case. The much-read Kiwiblog has taken down a thread on the case, and David Farrar says he will no longer post comments during trial.

A Facebook site on the same topic is also under investigation. Some of the group’s near-700 members have been posting comments about murder-accused Weatherston, and the site’s originator believes it is his right to freely express his views.

In this age of electronic conversations it seems that clear boundaries need to be established around the right of bloggers to use the internet to disseminate information that could possible influence a jury.

University of Otago law professor Mark Henaghan is completely clear:  “We’ve pussyfooted around blogging too much – it is part of communication.” Any interference with court proceedings is contempt of court.

The mainstream media are vigilant not to breach the law for reason of costs and credibility, but these realities appear not to extend to the far corners of the internet – not yet.  Perhaps the costs of prosecution could clear up any ambiguities up very quickly.

When it come to justice there has be one size for all.

This of course is not the rule for dispute simmering at the top of the South island over iconic bach architecture versus squatter hovels.

In the 40’s and 50’s these unpretentious little dwellings sprung up along the coastline, often constructed cheaply and cheerfully from surplus materials.

Currently eight of these baches sit on a strip of public land in Tasman’s Ligar Bay, mere metres from the shore.  Depending on your point of view they’ve variously been described in the community as a ‘blight’ and ‘hovels’ or architectural icons.

As March 2014 looms the 25 year land leases are running down. But their owners’ campaign to save them is gearing up.

If the benchmark for the bach or beach house is a faux Tuscan Palazzo, then the these will never do. But on the other hand they do make a statement about our history, about who were are or at least who we were.

Unlike the rigours court reporting, when it comes to our architecture perhaps there is room for a range of viewpoints?

Tags: David Farrar, Facebook, Kiwiblog, University of Otago

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 14th, 2009 at 1:49 pm and is filed under Media landscape, PR Matters, Social Media. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.