atw: Re: Censorship in Australia?!

From: "Dave Newdick" <dave@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 4 Oct 2016 14:26:57 +1000

Ana’s posts to the ASTC LinkedIn Group are being moderated as a result of
complaints from members of the group, members of the ASTC, and non-members of
the ASTC. The posts were considered to be inflammatory, discredited the
character of several people, did not provide the full story, and were
defamatory in nature. Several other members of the group are moderated for this
same reason. The fact that other people complained and potential harm was
generated to the reputation of the ASTC was reason for the Committee to agree
to remove the offending posts and moderate further posts. These actions are
recorded in the minutes of the meeting. We need to consider everyone’s opinion,
not just one person.

If Ana stops posting information of defamatory nature then there will be no
restriction and there is certainly no censorship. Her last post did not contain
offending or defamatory material and was cleared within 24 hours. Some other
members of the group were moderated last year when Ana was president? That
point was not raised…

In Australia the defamation laws are very strict. It does not matter if what
you are posting is the truth or close to it. If the intent of the post is to
publicly shame, humiliate, or to ruin someone's reputation, and they can be
reasonably identified by the post, they could sue for defamation. Defamation
action may be taken against the original writer, but also against anyone who
takes part in the publication or re-publication of offending material. Internet
service providers and hosts may also be sued. This has the potential to place
the ASTC at risk so moderation is considered necessary and the only viable
option.

The ASTC is a volunteer organisation and must comply with a range of
legislation, including defamation laws and Work Health and Safety legislation.
This also includes guidelines for harassment, bullying, and offending practices
or actions, an area that this site runs very close to. We are following
published guidelines from SafeWork Australia to make sure we comply and apply
fair and recognised actions, if and when needed. We have also followed legal
guidance and hopefully will not need to pursue this any further.

Regards,

Dave

Dave Newdick

President

Australian Society for Technical Communication Incorporated

Registration no. A0060863S

From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Bob T
Sent: 4 October 2016 12:48 AM
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: atw: Re: Censorship in Australia?!

On 4 October 2016 at 01:45, Bob T <bob.trussler@xxxxxxxxx
<mailto:bob.trussler@xxxxxxxxx> > wrote:

Ana,

Are you being moderated?

or are you moderating other people?

Bob T

On 3 October 2016 at 17:06, Warren Lewington <wjlewington@xxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:wjlewington@xxxxxxxxxxx> > wrote:

Nice post Ana. Fortunately, it is only a voluntary organisation. And yes. I
know what it is like to be ‘watched’. Surprisingly that episode is in Australia
– hi guys – hope this post finds you well.

As so often happens in small voluntary organisations, people who have never
otherwise made it in life to any great degree, see any title given to them; not
as an added, voluntary responsibility they have to help and sacrifice
themselves to others – but as a ‘right’ to power. They then wield power without
really understanding how powerless and petty they actually are. Criticism is
seen not as suggestion, but as dissent, and they choose to combat it in the
only way they know how – by bullying.

It serves as a reminder that all appointments to small, people thin
organisations, need to be VERY careful who they elect to lead them... The one
making the most noise about leading them is usually not the best choice.

From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
[mailto:austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ;
<mailto:austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> ] On Behalf Of Ana Young (Redacted
sender "ana_young2000" for DMARC)
Sent: Monday, October 03, 2016 2:01 PM
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: atw: Censorship in Australia?!

Have you ever lived in a country ruled by a dictator? Do you know what it is to
have all communication censored? Have you ever been followed? Do you know what
it feels when your phone is being monitored? Do you know what it is to live in
a place where you have no idea if the person sitting next to you is spying on
you? I do. Why? I grew in up in Portugal when Salazar ruled. Because of that,
freedom of speech is precious to me. Let me explain.

To establish and grow a dictatorship you need a minimum of two key ingredients.
The first is to keep the population in the dark. Dictators cannot have their
rules questioned in any way, hence censorship. The first thing to be censored
is the news – all news. Back then, that meant newspapers, television, books,
magazines and documentaries (local and international). Now it also must include
the internet.

Because the population started to communicate in other ways, the censorship was
extended to include song lyrics, theatre and movies. But that was still not
enough, so "agitators", as Salazar called them, were dealt with: a special
branch of police was formed and given extreme powers. Many Portuguese suddenly
disappeared some never to be seen again. It was easy enough – most of the
special jails were conveniently located next door to cemeteries. And with the
military under the control of Salazar, fear, the other key ingredient for a
dictatorship, was established.

To save themselves, some "agitators" left Portugal. They had to do it in
secret, using illegal means (border control was strict) and go to countries
that didn’t have an extradition agreement with Portugal. And they had to say
goodbye to their families not knowing if and when they would see them again, as
their families were now also under supervision.

But what to do with word of mouth? Easy! Unless approved, all public gatherings
were banned and strongly dealt with if courageous (silly?!) people went ahead
and held them. And remember, you never knew who was next to you. How strong was
the dictatorship? With the police and the military, Salazar ruled Portugal for
36 years and his followers continued for another six.

So why have I recounted the history of the Portuguese dictatorship? Because
now, here in Australia, my written communication is being supervised. Having
tried to publicly and privately ask a number of questions from the ASTC
Committee and never receiving an answer, I have recently discovered that I have
been added to LinkedIn’s moderator’s list. In essence, I can be censored. Who
will be next? And what can I expect? As an active member of the Society for
over 15 years, am I going to be expelled? And if I am, who is going to ask the
hard questions? Is the membership going to let the Committee rule like Salazar
– absolutely and with no accountability? Over to you.

Ana Young

--

Bob Trussler

--

Bob Trussler

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