Re: Hypocritical
>And contrary to popular belief even in advanced civilised societies, truth is NOT an absolute defence against defamation. ... being two obvious examples upheld in UK and USA courts
I can't speak for the home country of George Orwell, but in the U.S.A. truth is an absolute defense. Hard stop.
See first paragraph, and the subsequent examples where even statements that are not absolutely true but only substantially true receive the same protection absent of malice.
http://www.dmlp.org/legal-guide/substantial-truth