Techrights

The Boundaries of Criticism

Posted by Roy Schestowitz on Dec 10, 2025

About 20 years ago my E-mail signature said "freelance journalist". I was finishing my doctoral degree at the time and was already being paid to write articles about technology. Some time later I stopped using that signature (it instead became very concise, focusing on sites that I ran, not "job titles").

A month ago a corporate journalist phoned me and expressed respect to the work I had done. He asked something to the effect of, "did you consider the fact that you're an investigative journalist?" (This was preceded by questions about what I deemed my activity to be; I turned down labels as labels can carry connotations, even stigma)

In Techrights we focus not only on publishing truths but suppressed truths, i.e. topics that others are reluctant - even afraid - to cover. I get personally attacked for it, but almost always those attacks are meritless, baseless, even defamatory. When critics start to attack my family members instead it only means they've run out of options and exhausted their "arsenal".

In the coming days we'll write a lot about the EPO, which hired several laws firms to harass and threaten me. This will carry on and on until next year.

The harder the EPO will push back, the better the job we must have done. The attacks on us are typically "in proportion" to the positive effect we have. But just to be clear, the moment family members get targeted is the moment we escalate matters to the police (as we have in the past). Because there are clear boundaries for every kind of criticism. █