Harassment, Opinions and Court Battle
It all stemmed from recently writing a Medium article, which I’d classify more as an opinion blog, discussing Laura Owens and Clayton Echard and their court dispute. Medium suspended it for supposedly violating their policies against harassment or personal attacks. I’m not entirely sure what exactly was wrong with it. As I understand correctly after reading my email, it’s about harassment? Or am I wrong and I’m breaking entirely different rules?
Here is the email:
Hello,
After review of the post(s) below, Medium’s Trust & Safety team has found it to be in violation of site policies (https://medium.com/policy/medium-rules-30e5502c4eb4), and it has been suspended.
https://medium.com/@dsandra25/bachelor-encounter-with-the-serial-litigator-010f40c1f600
Site policies prohibit harassment or personal attacks, regardless of disagreement or who may have started it. If you find content that violates Medium’s rules, please flag it or email it to us for review.
Repeated violation of our rules may result in additional suspensions, decreased distribution of your posts, and potential suspension of your account.
Thanks,
Trust & Safety
Instead of appealing the suspension, I’ve decided to channel my energy into crafting a new article related to the subject. I’ve already written one on suspension.
In this article, I’m interested in hearing your thoughts, so it’s more of a questionnaire on what constitutes harassment when posting online. I’ll also share my own opinions, although I must admit, I’m essentially clueless about the matter.
Now, is everything I write true? Well, my thoughts and opinions are certainly true to me or from my perspective. However, when it comes to quotes, other articles, court documents, or other people’s stories, I can’t guarantee their absolute truth. While I might have an opinion about these things, it doesn’t mean my opinions are facts or the absolute truth.
I honestly don’t understand what constitutes harassment in an online post? I know the general definition and what Medium’s definition is about harassment.
But when you write an article on Medium, they don’t tell you which part of the article is problematic. Am I supposed to guess? If it’s not obvious, perhaps they should point it out.
Is merely writing about someone, and if they don’t like it, considered harassment?
Is summarizing public court documents considered harassment? Or believing one party more? If one party tells a “minor” lie, you can disregard that testimony. In a court battle, one party is typically more credible; that’s how they win.
Am I not entitled to voice my opinion? If I’m expressing skepticism or disagreement with the parties involved, especially if they are public figures engaged in a public court battle, do I not have the right to do so?
To my knowledge, I never shared private information. I never mocked a person or incited someone to do so. So how can I harass someone by doing nothing? Could it be that someone read an article and took action that I’m unaware of?
I know nothing!
So, back to the people in the article I wrote about…
So who are Laura and Clayton?
Based on Wikipedia : Clayton Echard was born on April 29, 1993 in Eureka, Missouri and rose to fame as a contestant on season 18 of “The Bachelorette” and later starred on season 26 of “The Bachelor.” He played college football for Missouri and briefly with the Seattle Seahawks in 2016. After football, he worked for Stryker Corporation before becoming a real estate agent in Scottsdale.
Based on her Website : Laura Owens is an all-around professional known for her podcast, Nobody Told Me, which she co-hosted with her mother, Jan Black. The podcast was reportedly listed as one of the top 25 “Most Downloaded New Shows of 2018” by Apple Podcasts. She is a public speaker, sharing her personal story in her TEDxWomen Talk, “The Life-Saving Power of Kindness to Strangers.” She’s also a successful equestrian, ranking as the top West Coast rider in the North American League Adult Hunter standings.
They are in a legal dispute following a personal encounter. Owens claims she was pregnant with twins, while Echard denies this, stating only oral sex occurred and accusing Owens of fabricating evidence, which she partially admitted to in court by altering a sonogram photo.
What is your stance on what constitutes harassment within news articles or blogs?
P.S.
See you in Part 2 where we will discuss public figures.
