Defamation Law and Social Attitudes - 9780857939432

Defamation Law and Social AttitudesOrdinary Unreasonable People\nAuthor(s): Roy Baker\nFormat: Hardback\nPublisher: Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd, United Kingdom\nImprint: Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd\nISBN-13: 9780857939432, 978-0857939432\nSynopsis\nThe common law determines whether a publication is defamatory by considering how 'ordinary reasonable people' would respond to it. But how does the law work in practice? Who are these 'ordinary reasonable people' and what do they think? This book examines the psychology behind how judges, juries and lawyers decide what is defamatory. Drawing on a thorough examination of case law, as well as extensive empirical research, including surveys involving over 4,000 members of the general public, interviews with judges and legal practitioners and focus groups representing various sections of the community, this book concludes that the law reflects fundamental misperceptions about what people think and how they are influenced by the media. The resu.