8.1. What Is Defamation?
You defame someone when you make a false statement about the person and the statement harms the person’s reputation. Public figures and public officials must prove that you made the statement with actual malice or with reckless disregard for the truth. Private figures need only show that you were negligent in making the statement.
Many states divide defamation into libel and slander. If you say the harmful false statement, you commit slander. If you write the harmful false statement or put it in another fixed form such as a film, broadcast, or a website, you commit libel. Defamatory actions against producers of media ...
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