Fair comment defence successfully used to excuse radio host from defamation claim
FAIRCOMMENTDEFENCESUCCESSFULLYUSEDTOEXCUSERADIOHOST
FROMDEFAMATIONCLAIM
LAURENTCARRIÈREANDIANAALEXOVA*
LEGERROBICRICHARD,
LLP
L
AWYERS,ANDPATENTANDTRADE-MARKAGENTS
PRECIS:TheSupremeCourtofCanadahasacceptedtheuseofthefaircomment
defenceinrelationtoaradioeditorialthatcomparedasocialactivisttocertain
notoriousbigots.Inreachingitsdecisionthecourtanalyzedthefreedomof
expressionenjoyedbythemedia,butnotedthatthismustbeweighedagainstthe
reputationsofindividuals.
InWICRadioLtdvSimpson(2008SCC40;2008-06-27)theSupremeCourtof
Canadarestoredatrialjudgment,previouslyreversedbytheBritishColumbiaCourt
ofAppeal,inwhichthefaircommentdefencewasdeemedapplicable.Thedefence
balancestwovalues:theprotectionofareputationandthefreedomofexpression.
RafeMair,acontroversialradiohostworkingforCKNW,ownedandoperatedby
WICRadioLtd,broadcastedaneditorialconcerningsocialactivistKariSimpson.In
thebroadcastMaircomparedSimpson’sbehaviourtoHitler,theKuKluxKlanand
othernotoriousbigots.
Simpsonsubmittedthatpartsofthebroadcastweredefamatorysincetheyconveyed
certaininsinuations,includingthat:
·sheencouragedparentstotaketheirchildrenoutofschoolsinthecasetheir
teacherwasgay;and
·shepreachedhatredagainsthomosexualsinawaythatcouldinfluence
peopletotakemattersintotheirownhands.
Mairallegedthathemadenosuchattributionsofviolence.
©CIPS,2008.*Lawyerandtrade-markagent,LaurentCarrière,isaseniorpartnerwithLEGERROBICRICHARD,
LLP
amultidisciplinaryfirmoflawyers,andpatentandtrademarkagents.IanaAlexovaisanarticling
studentwiththefirm.Publishedinthe2008-09-11issueofWorldMediaLawReport.Publication
328.051.
2
TheSupremeCourtnotedthatthefreedomofexpressionenjoyedbythemediawas
traditionallyconsiderednogreaterthanthatofothermembersofthecommunity.
However,itobservedthatSection2(b)oftheCanadianCharterofRightsand
Freedomsspecificallyrefersto“freedomofthepressandothermediaof
communication”,presumablytohighlighttheirsignificanceinpubliclife.Therefore,
thecourtstatedthatthereputationofeachindividualisavaluetobeweighed
againstfreedomofexpression(includingfreedomofthemedia)insuchawayasto
attemptreconciliation.
Thefollowingelementsconstitutedthefaircommentdefence:
·Thecommentmustbeonamatterofpublicinterest;
·Thecommentmustbebasedonfact;
·Thecomment,althoughitcanincludeinferencesoffact,mustberecognizableas
comment;
·Thecommentmustsatisfythehonestbelieftest(ie,couldanypersonhonestly
expressthatopinionontheprovedfacts);and
·Eventhoughthecommentsatisfiesthehonestbelieftest,thedefencecanbe
defeatediftheplaintiffprovesthatthedefendantwasactuatedbyexpress
malice.
Withregardtotheappellant’shonestbelief,JudgeBinnieconcludedthat:
“Inmyview,however,havingregardtothetrialjudge’sreasonsasawhole,and
consideringboththecontentofsomeofSimpson’sspeechesalreadymentionedand
thebroadlatitudeallowedbythedefenceoffaircomment,thedefamatoryimputation
thatwhileSimpsonwouldnotengageinviolenceherselfshe“wouldcondoneviolence”
byothersisanopinionthatcouldhonestlyhavebeenexpressedontheprovedfacts
byaperson“prejudiced…exaggeratedorobstinate[in]hisviews”.Thatisallthatthe
lawrequires.”
Inregardtoexpressmalice,thecourtrecognizedthatprovingthisonthepartofthe
mediaisgenerallyverydifficultsincethemediaarewellresourcedandsecretive
abouttheirinnerworkings-evenmoresoregardingtheirconfidentialsources.
Hence,itwasaffirmedthatadefendantmustprovetheelementsofthefaircomment
defencebeforetheburdenshiftstotheplaintifftodefeatthatdefenceby
establishing,ifpossible,maliceonthedefendant’spart.Simpsondidnotappealthe
trialjudge’sfindingthatthedefencewasnotimpairedbymalice.
Thecourtheldthatthefaircommentdefenceappliedtothecaseathandandthe
trialjudgehadbeencorrecttoallowit.
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