Practice Quiz

CLEP American Government Exam Prep

Category - CLEP US Government

Start a Study Session Sign up for Question of the Day
What is the difference between libel and slander?
  1. Libel is written defamation of character while slander is oral defamation.
  2. Libel is oral defamation of character while slander is written defamation.
  3. Libel is against the law, whereas slander is not.
  4. Slander is against the law, whereas libel is not.
  5. There is no difference. They are the same thing.
Explanation
Answer: A- Both libel and slander are defamation of character; libel is in writing, and slander is spoken. In New York Times v. Sullivan (1964) the Supreme Court decided that the First Amendment protects the press, and that individuals are protected from libel or slander charges-even if there is misinformation provided-as long as it is about a public figure and that there is no “actual malice” (the information is not known to be false and intended to hurt the person). This makes it very hard to sue someone for libel or slander in the United States if you are a public figure.
Previous Next
Was this helpful? Upvote!
Login to contribute your own answer or details
Start a Study Session Sign up for Question of the Day

Top questions

Related questions

Most popular on PracticeQuiz