defamation

Also known as libel and slander, calumny

AI overview

I don't have any context provided to base an overview of defamation on. Please share the context you'd like me to use, and I'll write a 2-sentence plain-language overview based solely on that material.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Research

250 papers

Defamation and DARVO.Journal of trauma & dissociation : the official journal of the International Society for the Study of Dissociation (ISSD) · 2022Harsey SJ, Freyd JJDOI: 10.1080/15299732.2022.2111510
Defamation, online.Nature · 2003DOI: 10.1038/426001b
Defamation in Healthcare.2026Ronquillo Y, Varacallo MA
Commentary on: Fake News, Defamation, and Online Reviews and Their Potential Devastating Consequences for Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons.Aesthetic surgery journal · 2022Reisman NRDOI: 10.1093/asj/sjac097
Defamation Against Healthcare Workers During COVID-19 Pandemic.International journal of health policy and management · 2022Shimizu K, Lin LDOI: 10.34172/ijhpm.2020.184
Defamation Claims Arising from Research Misconduct Cases: Best Practices for Institutions.The Journal of law, medicine & ethics : a journal of the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics · 2025Jaffe N, Caron M, Walsh L et al.DOI: 10.1017/jme.2025.37
Defamation or No Defamation.The Indian medical gazette · 1867
Concussion, Defamation and the Ringside Doctor.Journal of law and medicine · 2019Freckelton I

via PubMed

~123 min read

Article

115 sections

Contents

History
Human rights
General comment No. 34
Defamation as a tort
Common law
Background
Overview
Defences
Insurance
Defamation per se
Variations within common law jurisdictions
Corporate defamation
Roman Dutch and Scots law
Defamation as a crime
Criticism
Laws by jurisdiction
Summary table
Albania
Argentina
Australia
Online
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belgium
Brazil
Bulgaria
Canada
Civil
Quebec
Criminal
Online
Chile
China
Civil
Criminal
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Finland
France
Civil
Criminal
Germany
Greece
India
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Japan
Civil
Criminal
Malaysia
Mexico
Netherlands
Norway
Philippines
Criminal
Online
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
South Africa
South Korea
Online
Former Soviet Union
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Civil
Criminal
Thailand
Civil
Criminal
United Kingdom
United States
Criminal
Online
Venezuela
Yemen
UNESCO reports
2014
Global
Africa
Arab region
Asia-Pacific
Central and Eastern Europe
Latin America and the Caribbean
Western Europe and North America
2018
Global
Africa
Arab region
Asia-Pacific
Central and Eastern Europe
Latin America and the Caribbean
Western Europe and North America
2022
Global
Defamation and religions{{anchor |Christian perspective |Religious views}}
Christianity
Detraction
Slander
Islam
Judaism
Calumny
Slander
See also
Notes
References
Citations
Sources
External links

Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions that are false, and can extend to concepts that are more abstract than reputation such as dignity and honour.

In the English-speaking world, the law of defamation traditionally distinguishes between libel (written, printed, posted online, published in mass media) and slander (oral speech). It is treated as a civil wrong (tort, delict), as a criminal offence, or both.