LtE: Freedom of speech and press are under attack

Dear Editor:

It has come to my attention that Select Board member Chris Haley is threatening any news outlet that publishes a specific LTE that is critical of him. He is accusing the LTE writer of libel.

After Mr. Haley and several others falsely accused me of serious crimes last year, I spoke with several lawyers on the subject of libel. The consensus was that unless I could prove that Mr. Haley himself believed the accusations to be false, I had no case against him.

Mr. Haley has denied the allegations in the LTE in question. Denying something does not prove it to be false, and every one of us believes things that someone else denies to be true. In America, every one of us has a right to express those beliefs, especially in regards to our elected officials.

I am not here to litigate the actual accusations, not least because doing so might cause my own letter to be censored in the same way. However, I am imploring the Reading Observer and other news outlets not to let anyone (especially an elected official!) control what they publish through empty threats of legal retaliation.

Sincerely concerned,
Joseph Carnahan, Middlesex Ave