Being a journalist isn’t difficult in the grand scheme of things. Being a good journalist, however, takes dedication and ethics that most people don’t have the time or the reasoning to attempt. Part of being a good journalist means taking both sides of a story into account – Swedish publication Expressen failed to do this and Steve Angello is rightfully angry.
In a statement released on his Facebook, in his native Swedish, Angello admonishes the publication and the journalist in question for their unethical treatment of the situation. Angello states that he was approached by the author about the lawsuit in question, in which he was sued by a former business partner and an artist colleague for around $12.9 million for allegations of fraud.
In their discussion about the case, both Angello and the journalist, Torbjörn Selander, decided that there wasn’t enough information to write an accurate and ethical article on the subject. It was then that the journalist turned to the other party in the lawsuit, and received one-sided information and ran an article anyway.
“Now they’ve got all the dates wrong, all the rounds in the court wrong and all the information about how the court acted and reacted. And the also have been given the so-called “Confirmation” all wrong!” [translated] Steve wrote in his Facebook post.
Angello alleges that the crux of the lawsuit seems to be situated upon a SLAPP, or strategic lawsuit against public participation. It’s a form of lawsuit that is “intended to censor, intimidate, and silence critics by burdening them with the cost of a legal defense until they abandon their criticism or opposition.” It’s basically a legal form of blackmail that ends with the defendant settling.
Angello calls the whole process “laughable.”
The trial is set to begin at the end of the year.
https://www.facebook.com/steveangello/photos/a.94880267407.90862.59894622407/10155089096212408/?type=3
Photo via Rukes.com
