Freedom of Speech*

“I may not agree with what you say but I defend to the death your right to say it.”

Voltaire 1694 – 1778

Here in the UK we see ourselves as a free society (claims of the development of a Nanny State notwithstanding), with the right to express our opinions wherever and whenever we see fit.

However it would seem that the internet is increasingly a dangerous place in which to say what you think. Anything posted freely on the internet (i.e. not on a password protected site) is considered to have been published in a public forum and is therefore subject to the threat of litigation if a person or body discussed in the post takes offence.

Sadly I have been on the receiving end of this recently, when subject matter on my old blog resulted in the threat of the sack and eventually a Final Written Warning from my employer. This resulted in the closure of a site that I had put a lot of my time and soul into and an awful lot of stress for my family and myself.

A good friend of mine recently talked of her encounter with an independent retailer on her blog. She had written an honest account of her experience with that retailer, noting that whilst a mistake had been made, the end result was better for her in the long run, that she was happy with the outcome and she would recommend this particular retailer to anyone. The owner of the shop rang her at 9.30pm one night to accuse her of lying and then threatened her with legal action. My friend was six months pregnant at the time and was thrown into a panic by the retailer’s over-the-top response to her post, which included further threatening calls and emails. My friend modified her post to remove anything that identified the shop in question and the mad woman eventually left her alone.

More shocking though is what has come to light over the weekend on an internet forum that I am particularly fond of. Mumsnet’s talk forum is a great source of support, advice and entertainment for parents. There are many regular posters who are eloquent and insightful as well as funny and occasionally downright naughty. No matter what your problem is, if you start a discussion without fail there will be someone along with support, advice or an honest opinion. It has been a lifeline to many people, myself included, who have at times wondered if they are doing the right thing by their children, whether what is going on in their lives is normal or even just need to vent after a bad day. Huge moments in people’s lives are shared with the community, birth and death, warts and all. It’s not all serious stuff though, there are many threads that are simply like being down t’pub with your mates – just girls (and some boys) having a chat about whatever comes to mind.

There are a lot of posters on Mumsnet with very definite ideas on what is good and bad for babies and children. You would think that everyone is entitled to his or her opinion, wouldn’t you? You would think that discussion of various parenting methods would result in people considering the advice and opinions of others and deciding what was best for themselves and their children, wouldn’t you? After all, all babies are different and respond well to different things.

Staggeringly, according to a certain well known Author and Parenting Guru, discussion of her methods in a negative sense, eg. “I don’t agree with Author X’s methods, they are too rigid for me and my child, and I will not be following her advice,” or, “I found Author X’s book no use at all and in fact I threw it in the bin,” are worthy of the threat of litigation on the grounds of defamation.

Admittedly, with many Mumsnet posters being very forthright in their views, some of the anti Author X statements were worded somewhat more strongly, e.g., “I consider Author X’s methods to be cruel, how anyone could treat a baby this way is beyond me,” or “How can she express an opinion anyway, she has no children of her own”. Regardless of what you may think about the forceful language used, posts against Author X’s parenting advice have been personal opinion about her methods, which surely should be open to discussion in a public forum? Author X however has been very heavy handed with her retaliation, instructing her solicitor to contact the company that hosts Mumsnet and demand that the site be taken off line.

Full story here.

To say that I am angry and upset about this doesn’t even begin to describe my feelings. Mumsnet is such a great forum. It makes me laugh, it makes me cry, I get great advice when I need it and I can share odd bits of advice myself when someone is going through something I’ve had experience of myself. Sometimes, knowing that you are not the only one to have a particular problem is enough to help you get through it. We’re not just talking parenting issues here; we discuss health, relationships, what to have for dinner and which shoes to wear with That Dress.

The issue isn’t really the threat of removal of an internet forum though. The real issue is the gradual erosion of the right to say what you think.

That is what really scares me.

I’m off now to sign this petition. Please feel free to do the same.

*Please note that any opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the author and do not in any way represent the views of any other party. I have not named Author X myself even though she is named in Mumsnet’s statement as I do not want this site to appear if her name is Googled.