Yearbooks: The Law And You 2023

Objective – In this lesson, I can : • Define libel and what makes a statement become libelous. • Understand the defenses to a libel claim.

Photo by Sasha Haber

Words can hurt. Beyond the emotional pain and embarrassment they might cause, they can also lead to loss of a job, a lowered standing among one’s peers, broken relationships and other consequences. At its core, this is what libel law is designed to do – protect people’s reputations against false and defaming accusations that cause others to hold them in contempt or think poorly of them. The first duty of every journalist, including those producing a yearbook, is to tell the truth by producing an accurate account of events. If you follow that principle, you’ll successfully avoid libel, every time.

Lesson 2 LIBEL AND 10

DEFAMATION