More and more courts are allowing the unmasking of the identity of online writers and commenters in various kinds of legal cases, including defamation. Free speech violation, or holding people accountable?
I can think of no reason why people should be able to hide behind phony names and take pot shots at other people. I know that the local newspaper and others allow it, probably because they do not have the resources to check and make sure the names they get from commenters are legitimate. That is their choice, but I see no reason why that anonymity should be protected.
In my view, thrusting your opinions out there without saying who you are is pretty chicken. If you say it, be proud of it and identify yourself. If you are not willing to identify yourself, you ought to examine why you want to say something that you are not proud of.
I know, I know. The hiders will say they are afraid of retaliation or some other lame excuse. The men who signed the Declaration of Independence were committing treason under English law. If the Revolutionary war had not been successful, they were subject to the death penalty. The English had some imaginative and gruesome ways of executing people they considered traitors. Those men signed their real names anyway, because they were proud of what they were doing.
Be proud of what you do. If you are not willing to own it, don’t say it. Unless, of course, you really are a chicken.
Dugan Barr has practiced law in Redding since 1967. He has tried more than 200 civil jury cases to verdict. He is married and has five children. The offices of Barr and Mudford, LLP, are at 1824 Court St. in Redding and can be reached at 243-8008.
