Amazon is under fire for selling an ebook that was apparently written by convicted Canadian killer and rapist Paul Bernardo. Some commentators are mentioning free speech in this context, but that’s a red herring. Amazon would be within its rights not to publish Bernardo’s book. No one has a right to be published. That’s not what “free speech” means. So Amazon would be within their rights to stop selling the book, but they’d be wrong to do so. Consider the precedent Amazon would be setting by opting to vet every author prior to agreeing to sell his or her book. If they did so, should all murderers be excluded, or only murderer-rapists like Bernardo? How about war criminals? Should they sell CDs by rappers with criminal convictions? Amazon’s dominant position in both book publishing and selling means that it would be incredibly dangerous for the company to start picking and choosing authors that way.
Just FYI, Amazon also sells books by other serial killers and mass murderers, including John Wayne Gacy, David “Son of Sam” Berkowitz, and Adolf Hitler. >>>
LINK: ‘It’s wrong’: Amazon under fire for e-book attributed to Paul Bernardo (from CTV News)
Amazon is under fire after reports that the online retail giant is selling an e-book written by convicted killer Paul Bernardo.
The e-book is a fictional spy thriller entitled “A Mad World Order.”
Amazon has not confirmed whether the e-book, which it has been selling online since late June, was written by the convict…..
What do you think?
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