Libel occurs when a false and defamatory statement about an identifiable person is published to a third party, causing injury to the subject’s reputation. Each state creates its own body of libel law, although the First Amendment requires plaintiffs or prosecutors to prove fault before a news organization can be held liable for defamatory communications.
Generally, courts consider six different legal elements in libel cases: the defamatory nature of the communication, how it was published, the truth or falsity of the claims, whether it is "of and concerning" an individual, reputational harm caused and the degree of fault. The defendant in a libel claim also may have specific defenses available, often including anti-SLAPP statutes.
Companies can also bring suits for product disparagement. Criminal libel charges also pop up from time to time, and some suits are over the infliction of emotional distress. Journalists should know some basic tips for avoiding libel suits.
From The First Amendment Handbook, <https://www.rcfp.org/resources/first-amendment-handbook/>.
All writers - students, journalists, researchers, popular writers, etc. - face the challenge of avoiding plagiarism. Plagiarism can be defined as the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own. It is a violation of copyright law and can be considered to be stealing/theft/piracy of the intellectual property of another person. Often times, plagiarism is committed inadvertently. The writer didn't mean to plagiarize but wasn't fully informed about ways to avoid it. Still, as in matters of law, ignorance of the law is no excuse. Writers have a responsibility to educate themselves in ways to avoid plagiarism.
The websites listed below offer important advice on avoiding plagiarism.
Association of Health Care Journalists. Statement of Principles of the Association of
Health Care Journalists.
American Medical Writers Association. AMWA Code of Ethics.
American Society of Newspaper Editors. ASNE Statement of Principles.
National Press Photographers' Association. NPPA Code of Ethics.
Radio-Television Digital News Association. RTDNA Code of Ethics.
Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. Code of Journalism Ethics.
Society of Professional Journalists. SPJ Code of Ethics.