Defamation Dilemmas: Politicians vs. Media

Brittany Higgins has now been at the centre of three court cases.

First, there was the criminal trial of Bruce Lehrmann - which was aborted with no findings made against him.

Lehrmann later sued Network 10 and journalist Lisa Wilkinson, claiming that they defamed him by identifying him as a rapist.

The court found that he did, to a civil standard, rape Higgins.

Now, Higgins’ former boss, Senator Linda Reynolds, is suing her for a series of social media posts claiming that she was uncaring and unsupportive.

So is taking a rape survivor to court the best way to restore your reputation?

Today, legal affairs editor for The Saturday Paper Richard Ackland, on Senator Linda Reynolds’ defamation case and why some politicians are so quick to sue.

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Guest: Legal affairs editor for The Saturday Paper, Richard Ackland.

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