Think Like a Libel Lawyer

By

My job, when I am doing it right, is to please no one. I'm a press lawyer. I'm paid by this newspaper to vet stories before publication.

Think of me as a story's first and worst reader: doubtful, questioning, blind to subtlety, skeptical of the facts, regularly prodding editors and reporters to do something more or different. And if I have done my job well, many of the subjects of those same stories will be unhappy as well, but for all the reasons we want them to be: We got it right.

The basic idea of libel law is simple. A publisher can get sued for making a factual statement that proves to be false and hurts a person's reputation. For those of us charged with helping news organizations avoid libel suits, that means we learn to look at the world through the eyes of the person at the center of any tough story, often the bad guy in the tale.

Full Article

Join the Discussion
More Law & Society
Texas Cops Accused of 'Inappropriate Acts' with Suspected Prostitutes While

Texas Cops Accused of 'Inappropriate Acts' with Suspected Prostitutes While Posing as Clients: 'Embarrassing and Disappointing'

Joseph Smith

Alabama Death Row Inmate's Fate Uncertain As SCOTUS Demands Court Make 2nd Ruling

New York Lawmaker Seeks Justice for Influencer Squirrel with 'Peanut's

New York Lawmaker Seeks Justice for Influencer Squirrel with 'Peanut's Law,' Calls for Launch of 'Thorough Investigation'

Wayne Streeter, 24, and Alana Cagle, 18

Hatchet-Wielding Florida Couple Slashed Man Who Agreed To Be Tied Up, 'Have Sex' On Beach: Police

Real Time Analytics