November
2009
PR and Libel Law0
Before now, I have focused all my energy and attention on journalism, broadcast media in particular. I am well rehearsed with journalistic principles and codes of ethics. Libel is another area that has been drilled into my head through print journalism courses and the law and ethics of media. After reading about the law from a public relations standpoint, I see that it may be a harder line to walk for PR professionals. PR involves both internal and external communications, whereas journalism and media are artifacts prepared for public reception. PR professionals have to be careful about libel even when communicating internally. In the book for example, one organization published information that identified an employee who was fired for sexual harassment. The employee won this case based on common law libel.
Currently, the PR world must face caution with the rise of social media and online blog posts. The Internet as we have seen, can be a powerful tool in communicating messages whether favorable or not towards an individual or organization. One Knoxville resident and former client of a Knoxville marketing firm published defamatory statements about the firm online. These posts reached large audiences, were clearly published, identified the organization, and injured the firm’s reputation. Though the Knoxville firm filed suit, this Abbott PR blog suggests that it may not always be a good idea to pursue such cases with online libel.