Postponed Theatre show statements

[Silenced]

What is the name of your state? Arkansas

I think a guest editoral in the local paper has committed libel against my friend.
My friend is theatere professional working at a college campus that recently postponed a show for "safety" reasons. Atleast two different reasons at two different times.
My friend followed all procedure and guidelines previously outlined by the school.

The only reason the Administration knew was becasue the theatre dept notified them.
The administration does not normally pay that much attention to the theatre.
The ACLU has already redressed the freedom of speech issues.
However, the Director of Residential Life wrote an Editoral Opinion in the local paper dicussing rules listed about bringing guns to campus and implying it was the theatre depts. fault for doing a show with prop guns. The Director identified himself as a Theatre professional and used his Director of Residential Life Title.

Two quotes form the article:

"But I think that their disappointment needs to be directed at the people who let them down by not taking the proper steps prior to beginning the production to make sure that the production kept within the rules and regulations that we have in place to provide a safe and secure environment for our students."

"There is no doubt in my mind that had someone from the theatre department worked with the administration at the beginning of this production to address these issues a compromise could have been reached. And yes that compromise might have included not being able to use realistic guns or sound effects. But I know that even without those things a successful production could have been mounted."


If the first reason given was "respect for the NIU VT shootings" and the second was "sounds of gunfire" and were nearly a week apart.
If there was no written procedure in place. If prop guns had been used in previous preformances with no complaints. If my friend received permission from the Dept Head via a purchase order.
If my friend recieved instructions on how to inform campus safety.
If a contestant in a pageant used a prop gun (drill rifle) during competition during the same time frame.
If the "eyes of the threatre world" are focused on this story. Including a famous playwright and a famous songwriter.
If my friends name was not used but implied because there are only 2 Theatre faculty.
Does this constitute libel or defamation of charactor.

www.courier news.com and insidehighered.com

sorry for the long post.

 

[quincy]

Does this constitute libel or defamation of character?

The short answer is no.

What was written was an "editorial" which, by definition, is an opinion. Opinions are legal and protected free speech and are neither true nor false. Defamation, on the other hand, is always a false statement.

In addition, your friend is a "theater professional", which makes him a public figure. He has purposely put himself before the public and, as such, he and his production (and all that surrounds his production) can be critiqued. Criticism is not always fair and it is not always reasonable - but it doesn't need to be.

And, finally, nothing that was said in the editorial was really defamatory - or at least the portions of which you quoted here. The Director of Residential Life may not have been completely informed of all that went on before the decision was made to cancel the performances, but in his "opinion" the theater department should have worked harder to see that the production, without guns if necessary, was performed as scheduled.

If your friend feels the editorial singled him out in some way, he can always respond to the editorial with one of his own.

 

[Silenced]

But my friend is first and foremost an Educator i.e. Professor. The fact that they teach theatre is secondary. The accusation is of not following proper acedemic procedure and not a critique of the show.

What if these statements where also made to his student employees at the shared work place/college?

thank you for your time.

 

[quincy]

I understand what you are saying, but that does not change the fact that this was an editorial which expressed the opinion of one person. And your friend has a chance to respond with an opinion of his own.

My reading of the quotes you provided tells me that this Director of Residential Life believes there are rules in place on campus about the use of guns or prop guns. He believes that the use of prop guns, or an alternative, should have been discussed more fully between the theater group and the administration prior to production, so that the administration would not have had a need to cancel the performances. He seems to place blame on both the administration AND the theater department for not thinking ahead as to what effect gun props might have on a campus after the recent school shootings.

But that is my reading of it. And, knowing it is an editorial, I place only the value on it that one person's opinion of something deserves.

However, if your friend really feels that what was written implies false and defamatory facts about him specifically, and these false facts are affecting his reputation on campus as an educator, then he can certainly see an attorney about a defamation action - to see if any action against this Director is worth pursuing. I, personally, don't believe it is.