What is libel?

What is libel?

• A. Spoken defamation
• B. Written defamation
• C. Truthful statements about a person
• D. Defamation in social media only

Answer: (B)

Libel is defamation that is written or published in a fixed medium. It means making false statements about someone in a written or printed form—like in a newspaper, blog, email, or social post—that harms that person’s reputation and can be shared or preserved over time. The key distinction is that libel involves a written or otherwise fixed medium, whereas spoken defamation is called slander. Truthful statements about a person aren’t defamatory, and defamation isn’t limited to social media—any written medium can carry libel. So the correct choice describes written defamation.

Libel is defamation that is written or published in a fixed medium. It means making false statements about someone in a written or printed form—like in a newspaper, blog, email, or social post—that harms that person’s reputation and can be shared or preserved over time. The key distinction is that libel involves a written or otherwise fixed medium, whereas spoken defamation is called slander. Truthful statements about a person aren’t defamatory, and defamation isn’t limited to social media—any written medium can carry libel. So the correct choice describes written defamation.