The particularities of whether the term “malicious intent” exists in some form in a number of law systems around the globe, and if so, what does it entail, for something to be considered malicious intent, and how it is applied and weighted, that does vary among jurisdictions and courts of law. The context also matters. For example, in a criminal court case, a judge, jury and/or tribunal, may care little to not at all, about whether a person accused of severe rape, had intent or not, to do harm, as the harm has been proven to have been done. So, please be aware, that I may not be talking about the exact kind of “malicious intent”, as someone elsewhere may be talking about.
What I want to talk about here, is an example, of what I would consider to be malicious intent, in the context of social media and similar settings:
The photo with the blog post, is from Berlin in the year 1945, after side of the Allies won World War II in the European theatre.
Previously, I mentioned census data for Berlin, where it is listed, that at the end of 1944, the population was about 4.2 million, and at the end of 1945 about 3 million. And for 15th August 1945, it says about 2.8 million.
Now, if I would harbor ill will, and at that be running i.e. a video show on TV or wherever, these numbers might seem like a nice opportunity to create specific content with – of a type, that also is on the airwaves in different instances and context. As in:
“These are the official numbers! One point four million less of the population, after the Allies approached and entered Berlin. It must have been a slaughter! Just see the pictures – ruins everywhere and no flowers at all. Weren’t Nazis already defeated before 1945, with it taking Allies that long to reach Berlin, only because they were keeping playing golf along the way, and filling their trunks with whatever they got their hands on? Ladies and gentlemen, this is a scandal!”
In such a wording, there may be little to no complaint from the public. And after all: “I am merely a video content creator, looking for some clicks, and going with the flow of similar shows, where they keep going on and on, and don’t even have the faintest idea, of what they are talking about.”
But, what I did there, was at the very least, dishonest to truth. As in, using these numbers, to go to spin a story with just like that. It is dishonest, because like that, it is pretty much a fictional story, which uses a commonly known motive, even if the show and talk may have some resemblance to being like political etc.
In contrast to this example, stands academics. That is in such case, taking the time, to look at a number of things, starting in example wondering about how the census was counted. And there we may perhaps learn, that it was by a so-called “Meldeadresse”. Now we may wonder, whether that means, that it could be a possibility, that there actually weren’t 4.2 million people in the city already at the end of 1944? Perhaps many of the persons with a “Meldeadresse” in Berlin, happened to be Wehrmacht soldiers at some frontline somewhere, where Nazis once wanted to build their haciendas – and these soldiers, didn’t return to the city, such as due to being one of millions of fallen Wehrmacht soldiers, or after the hostilities ended, did become “internally displaced”? Are there some numbers about that? And perhaps, part of the city did flee, before or after the Allies entered the city? Hmm… so much to look at.
And actually taking the time, to look at this things, which may even involve going into non-virtual archives, that is generally called: research.
This research, I understand that it may not fit in, in today’s world of ever-accelarating news and media shows, with fierce competition, and “time is money”, and all that. I just think, that when it comes to professional topics, that it should be professional, and not pretending to be like some expert on whatever, while they are at best running a variety show of sorts, and at worst like Goebbels. And as far as my jurisprudence goes, at that worst, I consider it, where a type of malicious intent sits at, moreorless in cases. Meaning, that I do not consider it content appropriate to be broadcast by radio stations, TV stations, news outlets, and similar – pretty much just like there are restrictions i.e. in the United States, about vulgarities/curse-words not allowed to be broadcast.