I think a crux here is the extent to which the post is an allegation versus a question. If it’s an allegation, then I agree it should be rigorously supported, which probably requires legal input.
Technically, the phrasing in the disclaimer makes it clear this is a question. I don’t think the tone throughout the piece makes that clear enough though—at least, not for my tastes.
Having said all that, overall, I do want EA to be a place where people can pose challenging questions like this. And I wouldn’t want us to censure posts like this just because the tone wasn’t right.
I agree with Richard and Will’s comments that the tone of the post is very allegation-y (and not very question-y). In light of this, I’ve edited my comment so that it ends with “the tone wasn’t right” instead of “the tone wasn’t quite right”.
I think a crux here is the extent to which the post is an allegation versus a question. If it’s an allegation, then I agree it should be rigorously supported, which probably requires legal input.
Technically, the phrasing in the disclaimer makes it clear this is a question. I don’t think the tone throughout the piece makes that clear enough though—at least, not for my tastes.
Having said all that, overall, I do want EA to be a place where people can pose challenging questions like this. And I wouldn’t want us to censure posts like this just because the tone wasn’t right.
“The claim we make is… that EVF/he has continually acted illegally in this respect.”
This is plainly an allegation.
To me, this reads pretty clearly as an allegation, and I think not checking with a lawyer in that case is irresponsible.
I agree with Richard and Will’s comments that the tone of the post is very allegation-y (and not very question-y). In light of this, I’ve edited my comment so that it ends with “the tone wasn’t right” instead of “the tone wasn’t quite right”.