In this Legal Question of the Week, SPLC experts discuss whether jokes published in student media can be deemed defamatory or not.
Can jokes be defamatory?
Tag: defamation
Former Harvard employee files rare lawsuit against student newspaper
MASSACHUSETTS — A former Harvard University employee named the school’s student newspaper in a federal lawsuit filed July 20, accusing The Harvard Crimson of defamation and libel over coverage of his nude play about circumcision. Eric Clopper, who worked as a systems administrator at the university, filed suit against Harvard, The Crimson, a Harvard governing… Continue reading Former Harvard employee files rare lawsuit against student newspaper
Ask SPLC: Does including “in my opinion” protect me from a libel or defamation suit?
Q: Does including “in my opinion” protect me from a libel or defamation suit? A: Including the phrase “in my opinion” — for example, “In my opinion, the coach is a cheater” — does not create an automatic shield to libel. Neither does simply reprinting what someone else has said by saying something like, “‘The coach is a… Continue reading Ask SPLC: Does including “in my opinion” protect me from a libel or defamation suit?
Let the dead stay buried: online archiving does not bring "zombie" defamation claims back to life
Two former "American Idol" contestants waited too long to file their defamation suit against the parent company of MTV and VH1, a federal appeals court decides. The ruling is the latest to apply the "single publication rule" to an article continuously available on a news website. The decision should be reassuring to online publishers -- but with some important cautions.
High school newspaper's article about Seattle landlord was not defamatory, appeals court rules
A Seattle landlord failed to prove a high-school newspaper defamed him, an appeals court determined Monday, two years after the court decided the same article did not defame his brother.
Rarely used statute in Vermont helps student journalists escape a frivolous libel lawsuit
A federal magistrate has dismissed as frivolous a libel lawsuit filed by a North Carolina politician who claimed his 2012 presidential campaign was destroyed by a profile written by two student journalists from St. Michael's College.
Wash. students named in promiscuity story ask state Supreme Court to reinstate lawsuit
The four former students who unsuccessfully sued a Washington school district over a student newspaper article about students’ promiscuity have filed a petition for appeal to the Washington Supreme Court.
Canadian libel lawsuit against Michigan Daily dropped
A Canadian hockey team has dropped its libel lawsuit against The Michigan Daily and its reporter after the paper issued a clarification and took down a story that accused the team of having offered money to a University of Michigan-bound player.
Seattle landlord failed to prove high school paper libeled him, appeals court rules
A Seattle landlord did not prove the Roosevelt High School student newspaper defamed him, a state appeals court ruled Monday.
U. of Michigan paper faces $1 million defamation suit — in Canada
A Canadian hockey club filed suit against the University of Michigan’s student newspaper in an Ontario court Tuesday, following a story that alleged the team offered money to a UM-bound player.