Scott LJ said: ‘The reason why, once a plea of fair comment is established, there is no libel, is that it is in the public interest to have free discussion of matters of public interest.’ and ‘It [the right of fair comment] is one of the fundamental rights of free speech and writing which are so dear to the British nation, and it is of vital importance to the rule of law on which we depend for our personal freedom that the courts should preserve the right of ‘fair comment’ undiminished and unimpaired.’
Judges:
Scott LJ
Citations:
[1943] KB 746
Jurisdiction:
England and Wales
Cited by:
Cited – Telnikoff v Matusevitch HL 14-Nov-1991
The court should decide on whether an article is ‘fact or comment’ purely by reference to the article itself, and not taking into account any of the earlier background coverage. It is the obligation of the relevant commentator to make clear that the . .
Lists of cited by and citing cases may be incomplete.
Defamation
Updated: 18 June 2022; Ref: scu.253574