Blogger Rights

Friday 05 September 08

40-year-old blogger, Alan Murray, face charges of intimidation in cyberspace has won a legal judgement that anti-censorship campaigners claimed this weekend will protect freedom of expression across the worldwide web.

Alan Murray's blog, http://www.holylandswarzone.blogspot.com, highlighting violence, vandalism and creeping sectarian division in a part of Belfast's university district landed him in court on Friday because a member of the local residents' association objected to the blog.

Murray said he felt "totally vindicated" after Mr. Justice McKillop threw out all three charges. Murray also said "Bloggers don't have legal departments and large media organisations to back them up. They are Vulnerable people and would have been even more open to censure if this case had gone the other way".

The judgment in Belfast protects bloggers freedom of speech as it means powerful parties cannot bully bloggers with legal action.

As we have seen through Murray's blog blogs can be useful at getting your opinion out there but can also be quite damaging to involved parties.

So, in conclusion this is a big achievement of freedom of speech for bloggers everywhere but also draws attention to how one opinion can create an image of a community and can cause or escalate conflict between the affected parties. It also creates the point that blogs should be read and written with a non-biased opinion.

Do you agree or disagree, voice your thoughts in the forums.

-Garrett Cardwell & Zulema Cadenas-