Be careful what you say on Twitter, you could end up in court
- Do you tweet regularly?
- Do you regularly share personal opinions?
- Do you use your page to let off steam?
Be very careful about what you say!
Sally Bercow is currently being sued for libel because she tweeted "Why is Lord McAlpine trending? *innocent face*", amid intense speculation around the identity of a high-profile alleged paedophile. The prosecution have argued that the tweet was a “nudge and a wink to readers”.
Last year Matthew Woods was handed a 12-week prison sentence for posting jokes about April Jones and Madeline McCann. In 2011 alone, there were 1,286 prosecutions for “sending by means of a public electronic communications network a message or other matter that is grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character”.
Some tweets are blatantly malicious, but there are many other instances where tweets, which are written in the heat of the moment can get you into a lot of trouble.
Because Twitter is spontaneous, it’s easy to write something in a fit of anger that you might later look back at and regret. If you said something in anger during a conversation, it’s easier to retract it. But if it’s been published, it’s there for the public record.
Here are a few sensible steps you can take to ensure you don’t get yourself (or your fellow staff) into trouble.