Aboriginal surfer launches Daily Telegraph defamation case over ‘apeish’ comment
An aboriginal surfer has filed a legal claim against News Corp’s The Daily Telegraph over comments which described him as “apeish”.
The words referring to surfer Otis Carey first appeared in Morrison Media’s magazine title Surfing Life, but the magazine later removed the offensive phrase from its online version of the story.
Despite a hasty apology from the magazine, the 26-year-old surfer pursued the claim and settled out of court. He is now gunning for The Telegraph after it repeated the words online in March, with the next hearing due on September 12.
Did anyone notice the article in question was sympathetic to Carey, saying the comments had left him struggling?
It was raising the issue that calling Carey the word that Surfing Life used was unacceptable.
Yet Carey sues anyway.
What point is he making here? Suing someone who sought to defend his point….
Im equally confused – if the DT was merely reporting on the news of what another outlet had published – how are they guilty? Does this mean Adam Goodes from the Sydney Swans could also sue the DT because it reported about the fan who called him an ape?
Let the media do its job by reporting on news, without fear or favour.
And Mumbrella has repeated the defamatory word that Carey is suing over.
Look out….
This is simply part and parcel of being Aboriginal – very sad.