3. What must a libel plaintiff prove?

Libel

Posted Monday, February 17, 2020 12:53 pm

Table of Contents

2. Who can sue for libel?

3. What must a libel plaintiff prove?

5. Identification

6. Defamatory content

10. What defenses are available to journalists?

11. Retractions

12. What is the statute of limitations?

13. What types of damages are available to libel plaintiffs?

14. Where can you be sued?

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2. Who can sue for libel?

Next

4. Publication

3. What must a libel plaintiff prove?

A plaintiff usually must prove six elements to win a libel suit:

Publication
Identification
Defamatory content
Falsity
Injury
Fault

In the following sections, each of those elements will be discussed in detail.

Previous

2. Who can sue for libel?

Next

4. Publication

Browse other chapters

Advertising

Learn about what laws and regulations given media advertising, and what to look out for when you run ads.

Copyright Law

Learn about intellectual property, fair use, and other important laws as it applies to the content you publish.

Court Access

Learn about laws governing open courts, sealed documents, and the covering a judicial process.

Libel

Know your publications' rights when it comes to defamation claims and lawsuits.

Open Meetings

Learn about access to public bodies, what constitutes an "official meeting", and possible exemptions

Privacy

Learn how invasion of privacy claims work, what their historical basis is, and how to properly gain consent when covering a story.

Public Records

Learn what types of data and/or information is available to you, and how to request it.

Journalist's Privilege

Learn your rights when covering sensitive or criminal cases in the event of a subpeona.

Request an update

This handbook is a living resource, and we make changes occasionally. Let us know if something's missing or incorrect by contacting us.