Academic debate UR DOIN IT RONG

[oursin]

NYU Professor Faces Libel Lawsuit in France for Refusing to Purge Negative Book Review.

The review is not, as scholarly reviews go, even that vitriolic.

And, on more reviewing weird stuff, The professor, his wife, and the secret, savage book reviews on Amazon (should anyone not have encountered this already).

Comments

[siria]

And adding a further twist to the latter story, Figes has just admitted that it wasn't his wife—it was him all along. Poison pen reviews were mine, confesses historian Orlando Figes. *facepalms*

[ajnabieh]

I do not have enough eyeroll in the WORLD for "you wrote a bad review of me! libel!"

And I haven't read up on the other story...but a first glance at the links suggest epicness. I will investigate. Thanks for sharing!

[holyschist]

I just don't understand how bad reviews are actionable!

[ajnabieh]

Via the law of Special Snowflake, I believe.

(I think the actual problem may lie in the content of libel law in France. I saw a Language Log post on this...er, here.)

[holyschist]

It's all rather worrisome if any country's libel law can be used like this.