CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
Fairfax media has today had to come clean that they may have reported bullshit after being found guilty of defaming Jamaican cricket legend Chris Gayle.
The international batsman has been awarded $300,000 in damages for being defamed in articles that claimed he whipped it out in front of female massage therapist in Sydney in 2015.
The since discredited articles followed a brief media hysteria that surrounded Chris Gayle asking a white woman on a date during a field interview around that time, which in hindsight actually wasn’t that bad when you take into account all the shit that has been dug up within theatre and the arts throughout the #MeToo era.
The court found that these allegations against Gayle have damaged Gayle’s reputation outside of the Carribbean, as white inner city media commentators were quick to condemn the record breaking batsman for his completely out of line actions that saw him being black and charismatic around women.
In her reasons, Justice Lucy McCallum accepted that Gayle was hurt by the publication of the articles and that “the imputations had particular resonance in cricketing circles, among fans, coaches, officials and players”.
The jury found that the articles were prompted by malice, however Justice McCallum said she disregarded the defendants’ malice in her assessment of damages.
