These laws aim to balance protecting individuals' reputations with upholding freedom of speech and the press, making it a complex and nuanced area of law…

Libel is the legal term for a written defamation of character, involving false statements presented as fact that harm an individual's reputation. Unlike slander, which pertains to spoken defamation, libel encompasses written or published material, including articles, social media posts, and other permanent forms of communication. To establish a case of libel, the plaintiff must typically prove that the statement was false, damaging, and made with a certain degree of fault, often negligence or malice, depending on the jurisdiction. Libel laws aim to balance protecting individuals' reputations with upholding freedom of speech and the press, making it a complex and nuanced area of law.