What are the defences against libel?
The law lays down a number of ways in which defamatory publications may be defended. If the defences succeed, the publisher wins. But if they dont succeed, the publisher loses: the complainant will have been libelled and will therefore be entitled to be paid damages and their legal costs. The defences are listed below. Justification The most usual defence against libel is to prove that the information published is true. But this can be a dangerous route because an unsuccessful plea could increase the damages against you because you will have increased the harm to the complainant. And remember, you must be able to deal with every libellous possibility, such as inference and innuendo. If your statement infers something greater, it is not enough to prove that the statement is just literally true. Merely asserting something will not be sufficient to prove that its true – you will need witnesses and documents to back up assertions (whether theyre yours or someone youre quoting). Fair commen
