This is not the reply to make if you wish to keep yourself out...

This is not the reply to make if you wish to keep yourself out of trouble.

Defamation in definition must be false, but in law you must be able to prove that it is TRUE if you are sued for it. Do you want to take that risk? We don't, so we are trying to protect all our users and thus this reminder.

As stated in the guidelines, it is not just the truth of words but also the implication behind them, which can be INCREDIBLY difficult to prove/disprove.

As also stated in the guidelines, an honest opinion/fair comment can also be used as a defense (so always good to state that something is your opinion if you're posting, and the reasons behind such a comment, which is the latter) however even with these it can be incredibly difficult due to the limitations of context and subtext in text-based mediums.

"Defences-
There are a number of defences to defamation, one of which is truth. It is important to understand that it is the truth of the imputation that must be proved, not the truth of the words used.

There are other defences such as qualified position, fair comment or honest opinion. These can be very technical, and the best approach is to avoid making defamatory statements in the first place."