Word: libellous
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...idea that Matt or Clay or any of their friends would threaten other people’s jobs or political futures is an outrageous, slanderous and unbased claim,” Golis posted. “I think it’s libel...
Some recent large libel awards against newspapers do not reflect an increased animus toward the press, in the opinion of Robert Sack, a libel attorney who represents the Wall Street Journal. He thinks that jurors get used to reading about large awards in injury or malpractice cases. Libel suits rarely show out-of-pocket losses, but "when the question turns on how much a man's reputation is worth," Sack believes, "round numbers will come to the juror's mind." What made a $50 million libel suit against the Boston Globe remarkable last week was a verdict that found five...
Even when fending off costly verdicts, newspapers are apt to feel besmirched by libel trials. The prudent course would be to mollify an aggrieved party before he sues, but just the opposite usually happens: a person who calls a newspaper to ask for a retraction or a correction finds his call impatiently shunted around the newsroom by people busy getting out the next edition. He was hurt and upset when he placed the call; when he hangs up he is angry and ready to sue. What began as a "golden opportunity for the press" ends...
...libel cases be headed off? They often can, argued Gilbert Cranberg, Gallup professor of journalism at Iowa, summarizing the Iowa study at a convention of the Organization of News Ombudsmen in Minneapolis. The ombudsman, clumsy title and all, is usually an older editorial hand delegated to hear out and judge reader complaints. This can be a touchy assignment. Since he was not involved in the original story and does not feel defensive about it, he may be readier to recommend a correction or even an apology. Though there are about 1,800 daily newspapers in the U.S. and Canada, there...
...Lakian was able to take advantage of a Supreme Court decision (New York Times vs. Sullivan), originally hailed as a great triumph for the press. Under this decision, what matters most is what a writer or editor thought to be true at the time of publication. So libel cases are now minute inquiries into a writer's mind...