What is libel?

• A. Spoken defamation
• B. Written defamation
• C. Truthful statements about a person
• D. Defamation in social media only

Answer: (B)

Libel is defamation that is written or published in a fixed medium. It means making false statements about someone in a written or printed form—like in a newspaper, blog, email, or social post—that harms that person’s reputation and can be shared or preserved over time. The key distinction is that libel involves a written or otherwise fixed medium, whereas spoken defamation is called slander. Truthful statements about a person aren’t defamatory, and defamation isn’t limited to social media—any written medium can carry libel. So the correct choice describes written defamation.