This is true and proven as it is very easy to find actual SEC rulings on people engaged in this behavior. However, that does not mean that if someone posts information about something they found or see going on that might not be lucky charms that it is somehow bashing. Over the past two decades on ihub I have seen countless pinks get revoked, suspended, and in many cases the "CEOs" (if you can call them that) end up in jail. On those message boards of those companies I saw countless times when people saw foul play and called it out, they were immediately called bashers.
So yes, there are true bashers, and then there are those who seek the truth about what is going on. Those are not bashers. Do not forget that the opposite end of the spectrum there are promoters. Stock promotion to hype up the PPS so certain parties can unload is also a real thing as well. Interesting how that was left out.
Example: A penny stock suddenly authorizes billions of shares with no to paltry revenues, and little to no actual business operations. Unloads shares over months, then eventually announces a massive R/S. When people question the motives of the company then certain posters come out and cry foul and post BASHER! BASHER!
So, let's see what ends up happening here. Hopefully it doesn't get dragged out for years like it seems to have been.