Liz Minchin, Queensland editor of The Conversation, interviewed threee legal experts on the Premier’s decision to sue Alan Jones (26.1.15). The move was seen as not unusual, but a risky strategy. Sydney University’s media law expert, Associate Professor David Rolph commented:
Defamation litigation is always risky because it draws attention to the very thing you’re suing about. So by suing, you’re giving publicity to those allegations. With politically sensitive matters, especially during election campaigns, there’s always a concern that the best place to be judged on your reputation is not in a court room but at the ballot box. The fact that you’re drawing attention to these allegations at such a sensitive time is probably not terribly helpful.