2. Much of what journalists publish or broadcast is protected under the First Amendment. In most cases, they have a legal right to disseminate (spread) information to the public without fear of legal consequences (being sued, sent to jail)

3. However, if they are accused of slander or libel, then they may be held legally responsible for their actions.

4. Slander (Spoken) & Libel (Written) It IS slander or libel if ALL of the following are true: – Defamatory (Offensive) Message – Published (Made known to a third party) – Clearly identifies a specific person or group – Injures the reputation of that person or group It is NOT slander or libel if ANY ONE of these are true: – It is the truth* – This knowledge was made public by accident – The person or group consented to having the information made public – The person has privilege: judge, juror, attorney, witness * In a few instances, slander or libel accusations may be brought against someone who has told the truth, but hurt another’s reputation. However, these cases are fairly rare and are often very difficult to win, given the First Amendment.

5. For more information, you may want to explore: http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Libel+and+Slander