Criticising people in a public forum is a sticky business. Pprune uses an anonymous approach, which means that the website management are put in a difficult position where certain sorts of criticism are aired.
I think that those who wish, say, to criticise a company should do so (a) in their own name, and (b) stating clearly their qualification and evidence for doing so.
In another forum where I am well known in my own name, I am occasionally criticised (I am fairly senior in the UK airworthiness system) by people who extend me this courtesy, and I respond in the same light. I've no problem with that, but in an anonymous forum I don't think that this is sensible - making public criticisms and hiding behind anonymity is not very ethical. English law deals with this by making the publisher liable in any libel action - and the English legal system is capable of issuing quite punitive (i.e. 7 figure and I don't mean USD) damages. This tends to concentrate the mind.
Incidentally, why in criticising the moderators of this forum, do you choose anonymity?
G
N.B. For the benefit of foreign readers, when we say "English Law", that's what we mean. Scottish law is quite distinct, as is that in some of the offshore islands such as the Isle of Mann or Jersey.
Last edited by Genghis the Engineer; 27th Jun 2002 at 13:29.