Defamation & Privacy

 Defamation is the action of hurting an individual's reputation. It is split into two areas called libel and slander. Libel is false defamation that is expressed in writing, print, pictures, or signs, that intend to hurt a person's reputation and expose them to public hatred and ridicule. Slander is spoken defamatory statements, such as claiming someone is a racist, rapist, or murderer. The Hustler Magazine, Inc v. Falwell case in 1988 is a great example of defamation of an individual's reputation as Jerry Falwell sued Hustler's magazine ad campaign for libel, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. In this case, Hustler Magazine issued a parody of Falwell in an advertisement that resembled an actual ad campaign but claimed Falwell had a drunken incestuous relationship with his mother in an outhouse. A jury verdict granted Falwell $150,000 in damages for his emotional distress claims.

Privacy is important in entertainment, media, corporations, and government agencies because those industries have become powerful and technologically advanced enough to invade our individual privacy. Although it is important for news and information to be spread in some cases, some industries go past the boundaries of the individuals in these cases. The Cox Broadcasting Corporation v. Cohn case in 1975 addresses this issue of invasion of privacy as Martin Cohn, a father of a seventeen-year-old girl who was raped and killed in Georgia, sued a television station for broadcasting the name of his daughter in connection with the incident. This was a violation of a Georgia privacy statute that prohibited members of the media from disclosing the names or identities of rape victims. 

I believe defamation and privacy are important to address as the media and technology grow. Although people nowadays share a lot more in the media than ever before, people should have the right to speak on their own reputation and have privacy when they feel the need to.