JRLC Libel

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Libel-Defamation

Dangerous for all media

All media professions

Expensive

Cases protect political speech sp 09

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Libel-Defamation

Plaintiff

Defendant

Burden of Proof

Preventing Libel suits

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Libel

Define

Elements

defamationidentification

publication

harm

fault

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Libel

Terms

Public Official

Public FigurePrivate Person

Actual Malice

Negligence

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Libel

Defenses

Truth

OpinionQualified Privilege

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Libel

Internet

Slapp Suits

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Libel v. Slander

Libel: written

Slander: spoken

But terms merge in broadcasting, on internet.

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Libel

Historically

Libel

more widely disseminatedthan slander

more permanent

more deliberate

more harmful

But also true of broadcast and internet

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Criminal Libel

Historically

Based on breach of the peace theory

The greater the truth the greater the libelSedition laws

Now

No breach of the peace punishment

Truth a compete defense

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Criminal Libel

Ashton v. Kentucky

Unconstitutional to punish criticism of

officials calculated to create adisturbances of the peace.

SCOTUS: Criminal libel law too vaguePlaintiff must prove malice

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Libel: Plaintiff

Living Individuals

Businesses

Organizations

Products

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Libel Defined

A false and unprivileged

statement

offactthat harms

a persons

reputation.

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Libel Definition

Harm to reputation

causes hatred, ridicule or contempt

(Restatement (Second) of Torts)

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Libel defined

Types of libel

False statements that say or imply

immoralitymental illness

contagious disease

criminal activity

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Libel defined

False charge of criminality, e.g.,

Guilty when only a charge was filed

Guiltywhen person is acquitted.Arrested when person is only questioned

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Libel defined

Be precise:

False report: Driver charged with driving an

uninsured automobileFact: Driver without proof of insurance

was summoned to prove car is

insured.

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Libel defined

Loaded criminal words

ambulance chaser

cheats

collusion

deadbeat

embezzler

fraud

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Libel Defined

Business Libel

loaded words

cheat customerscompany is insolvent

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Libel defined

Business libel

false report: tobacco company advertised

illicit pleasure to childrenBrown & Williamson

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Libel defined

Product disparagement

False report: Sound from Bose speakers wanderedabout the room.

Violin appeared to be

10 feet wide, and a piano stretched from

wall to wall.

Financial harm: Publication caused 9-month decline insales growth.

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Libel defined

Veggie Libel

Oprah vowed to eat no more hamburgers,

to avoid mad cow disease;Expert guest proclaimed danger to

American beef.

.

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Libel defined

Veggie libel

Court: Oprah did not violate Texas food

disparagement statute prohibiting falseinformation about safety of perishable food

products.

Why? . . .

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Libel defined

Veggie libel

Court: Texas beef not perishable.

First Amendment issuewhetherstatute is constitutionalwas avoided.

Question: Can disagreeing, expert scientistscreate false facts?

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Libel defined

R & B Villa West Page 1

r&b villa west.djvu

r&b villa west.djvu

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Libel: R & B Villa West text

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Libel Villa West

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R & B Villa West Correction

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Libel defined

Alcohol Abuse

Carol Burnett

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Libel defined

Incompetence

Libelous or opinion?

The easiest five credits at Stanford.The professor travels without a full

set of luggage.

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Libel defined

Libelous? Professor Buttlick

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Libel defined

Direct quotations

Fabricated quotes not defamatory per se.

Fabricated quotes defamatory if fabricationdefames. New Yorker-Masson case

Innocent construction rule.

Journalist cant escape liability with quotes:e.g., The professor was drunk in class.

The quote is defamatory if false.

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Libel defined

Loaded words

Communist

Nazi

HomosexualPlagiarist

Sold out

Obscene

Substandard

Fired

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Elements of libel

Defamation

Publication

IdentificationHarm

Fault

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Libel publication

Any format

Newspaper

Book

BroadcastInternet

PR release

Headline

Cutline

Advertisement

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Libel publication. Advertisement

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Libel Identification

of or concerning

Not always necessary that name be published

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Libel Identification - Cartoon

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Libel Publication - Cartoon Correction

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Panning camera

Houses in drug story

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Group Libel

No KFC restaurant identified from among 5,000

No owner of burned building identified

from among 160 owners.

But, identification established when all tenmembers of fraternity are libeled.

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Libel Publication

Publication needed to a third party

Newspaper

Broadcast

Internet posting

Including FacebookLetter of recommendation

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Libel: Whos Responsible?

EVERYONE

Reporter-writer

EditorPublisher

Broadcaster

Sources

But, not Internet service provider, section 230

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Libel Publication

Internet Service Provider

Section 230ISP not liable for defamation as carrier

Kenneth Zeran

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Libel Publication

Internet service provider, sec. 230

But no immunity for ISP under sec. 230 ifprovider induces defamation

on interactive site.

E.g., Roommates.com

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Libel Publication

Foreign Jurisdictions

Libel tourism

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Fault

Strict Liability(No longer)

Malicepublic officials and figuresNegligenceprivate plaintiffs for compensatory

damages

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Fault

New York Times v. Sullivan

End of seditious libelSedition Act 1798

Truth a defense

Juries determine lawLeonard Levy

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Fault


See, Brief

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Fault


Significance

Constitutionalizes libel law

Burden on plaintiff

Malice requirement for public officials

Protection for paid editorial ads

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Public Officials

Public Officials

Sullivan

Police officialRosenblatt v. Baer

Government employees who have,

or appear to the public to have, substantialresponsibility for or control over the conduct

of governmental affairs.

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Public Officials

Mayor?

Governor?

Tax AssessorHigh School Principal?

Football coach?

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Public Figures

Curtis Publishing Co. v. Butts

Gertz v. Welchvortex limited. voluntarily inject self into

controversial issue of public importance

all purpose. pervasive power andinfluence

Public Figures

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Public Figures

Involuntary public figure?

Is there such an animal?

Rosenbloom v. MetromediaMaximum extension of public figure

malice requirements to:

The involuntary public figureSupreme Court retrenchment

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Public Figure

Supreme Court retrenchment

Gertz v. WelchTime v. Firestone

Hutchinson v. Proxmire

Wolston v. Readers Digest

Public Figures-Private Persons

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All-purpose public figure

Wield pervasive power or influence;

enjoy wide fame or notoriety.household name

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All-Purpose Public Figures

Wally Butts

National television celebrityNational political writer

Film stars

Not: Mary Alice Firestone.Prominent only in Palm Beach

society

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Limited or Vortex Public Figures

Inject selves into controversial issues

of public importance to affect theoutcome

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Limited or Vortex Public Figures

Not Gertz: No attempt to influencepublic opinion on issues of police

brutalityNot Firestone: No controversial public

issue

Not Hutchinson: No thrust

into public controversy

Not Wolston: Didnt seek subpoena

to testify

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Vortex Public FiguresYes: Waldbaum. Executive entered

controversies on supermarket practices,energy legislation, fuel allocation.

Attracted news coverage-

Yes. Monitor Patriot v. Roy

Losing candidate thrust self into political

issues; private life exposed in campaign

(called a bootlegger)

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Public Figures

Richard Jewell?

Damon Evans?Ted Turner?

Greg McGarity?

Vince Dooley

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Fault

Actual Malice

Knowing falsehood or reckless disregard

for the truth -- Sullivan

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Fault

Reckless Disregard

Garrison: high degree of awareness of their

probably falsity.

St. Amant: entertained serious doubts

about truth. Story was inherently

improbable.

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Fault

Reckless disregard

Combination of factors

Unreliable source. Butts,Connaughton

Failure to interview or check

Butts, Connaughton

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Fault

Reckless disregard

Intentionally avoiding the truth

ConnoughtonAvoiding contradictions

Avoiding warnings

Story improbableBias

Ill will

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Fault

Reckless disregard

Not in AP v. Walker

Usually reliable sourceNo reason to doubt

Journalistic speed sometimes needed

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Fault

Knowing Falsehood

Fabrication. Cantrell v. Forrest City Pub.

Fabricated dialogFabricated excessive poverty

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Fault

Knowing Falsehood

Not knowing falsehood:

Changing quotes in quotation marks,unless the change creates

defamation. Masson

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Fault

Negligence

Failure to do what average professional

[person?] would doMay be single error.

Failure to check. Sullivan

Wrong name from phonebook. Liquori

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Fault

Negligence

Wire service defense

Not negligent to publish wire storyunless story is inherently

improbable

Not negligent if there is no reasonto know story is defamatory

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Fault

NegligenceGeorgia Broadcasters

O.C.G.A. 51-5-10. Liability for defamatory

statements in visual or sound broadcast;

damages

(a) The owner, licensee, or operator of a

visual or sound broadcasting stationis not liable for defamatory broadcasts

. . . [continued]

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Fault

O.C.G.A. 51-5-10 (continued)

By guests or sources

Unless plaintiff can prove stations has

failed to exercise due care to prevent the . .

.broadcast.

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Fault

Do broadcasters need time delay to avoid

Negligence?

JRLC Libel

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