كيف تتجنب الصحيفة دعاوى القذف .. كتاب معلم الصحافة والإنشاء

How does a newspaper avoid libel suits?

Defamation is an incorrect printed statement that exposes a person or group of people to hatred, contempt, or ridicule. In other words, it is something that degrades an individual or harms his work. The balance of this is to ask yourself when writing the topic: How would I be affected by what you wrote if you were the person being the subject of the conversation? Am I confident in the truth of what I am saying? Do I have anything to prove? Is it fair to publish this information?

Slander is the specter that hangs over the newspaper, making people laugh at the informant, worrying the editor, and opening the eyes of the reviewer so that he does not miss a loophole that will cause disturbance to his newspaper, harming its reputation and the reputation of its owners. This is for the newspaper to cancel all at once topics that might open the door to slander if they contain legitimate news. But it is formulated carefully and cautiously within the limits of the law. If she sees herself as having made a mistake in publishing a topic, she takes the initiative to correct it. Many apology columns are titled “I’m sorry” or something similar. Although this apology does not prevent the slander lawsuit, it mitigates it. It is better for the journalist to be careful before sending his story to the printing press instead of resorting to apology. In the past, it was said in a noble hadith (Beware of what he apologizes for).

Yes, it is the newspaper's duty to inform the public about how the law is applied in cases presented in courts and meetings of legislative councils and parliaments, but this information must be general, accurate, and free of commentaries. It is also its duty to protect public morals by revealing gang actions, corruption, and bribery in public offices. However. The newspaper must prove in court that the facts commented on by the editor are true, and that the writer is not motivated by an evil desire.

Then the newspaper has special privileges. In terms of criticism and commentary regarding talk about a speech, a work of art, a play, a book, a person, a group, an institution, or anything else that is of public opinion, its talk must be free of evil motives and within the limits of what concerns society and achieves the public interest only. The theory on which this right is based is that the private lives of individuals who engage in public issues become a subject of the nation’s concern, and in this capacity alone they become subject to permissible criticism, but within a certain scope.

Considering that nine tenths of the trouble that the newspaper gets into is the result of haste, negligence, and ignorance on the part of the informant, and considering that the editor and reviewer, although they can identify statements that may be the subject of a lawsuit, they do not have enough time to verify the veracity of the subject, for these two considerations the informant must remember There is always a saying: (An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure). The safety valve against defamation lawsuits is to always be reassured that what you narrate is supported by official documents and records, and information that you can present to the court, and that you can prove that what was narrated was the truth without an evil motive, without distortion, and for the public interest only. Therefore, do not write anything that you are not confident in. Beware of adjectives, phrases, or references that mock or insult a person while you are not sure of the source from which you derived those phrases or facts. Transferring a name or writing it may result in a major libel case. Always beware of stories that affect the reputation of lawyers, doctors, religious scholars, and school and university professors, as publishing any news that destroys people’s trust in these people and others like them leads to court. . Be extremely cautious when reporting news that may affect the position of an institution or an honest deal. Do not write a trade name in an unclean case unless your information. Do not talk about a woman’s misconduct unless you have an official record of the trial or testimony that you can rely on, because such cases are considered the worst types of slander. Stay away from disgraceful words that offend people. It is better for you to say: the accused, or the prisoner, instead of saying: the thief, or the murderer, because the law says: (The accused is innocent until proven guilty).