Rights & liberties
defamation
A false statement of fact that damages someone's reputation. Public officials and public figures must also prove the speaker knew it was false or recklessly disregarded the truth.
In full
New York Times Co. v. Sullivan (1964) imposed the actual malice requirement for public officials, later extended to public figures, so that fear of libel suits would not chill reporting on public affairs. Opinion is not defamation, and truth is a complete defense. Libel is written, slander spoken; the distinction now matters little.
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A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.