As we pursue our features, let's stop and talk about libel law. Read the four statements below. Are they libelous? Why or why not? Post your answers to your blog.
1. “Megan Fox is a man!” Headline on Weekly World News Web site
Yes. This statement is an example of defamation and is a false statement.
2. “Up until the day he died, he was a brilliant writer. But the drugs made him a thief, a pimp and a liar,” said friend Karen Smith, who was with Johnson at the time of his death.
No. This man is dead and cannot defend himself, prove that the statement false, nor sue for libel.
3. “In my opinion, Kevin is a murdering rapist,” the prosecutor told the jury.
No. The opinion is spoken in a court of law and protected under the Fair Report privilege.
4. "In my opinion, he's a murdering rapist," the man said at the rally.
Yes. There is no protection from the law.
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