A Newspaper Publishes a Factually Incorrect and Highly Negative Story

question 69

Multiple Choice

A newspaper publishes a factually incorrect and highly negative story about a presidential candidate.That candidate sues the paper for libel.The courts are likely to rule which of the following?

• A)The candidate is likely to win damages (money from the paper), because the freedom of the press does not include the freedom to print factually untrue statements.
• B)The candidate will not win damages (money from the paper), because freedom of the press does include the freedom to print factually untrue statements.
• C)The candidate will win damages (money) only if he can prove the paper knew the story was a lie when it printed it, but did so anyway.
• D)The candidate will win damages (money) if he can prove that the publication of the paper resulted in a severe and immediate harm to his reputation.
• E)The candidate cannot win damages (money) from the paper because he is a "public figure" and thus exempt from the normal rules governing libel.

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Definitions:

Weighted-average

A mathematical calculation that takes into account the varying degrees of importance of the numbers in a data set, assigning more weight to some numbers than others.

Conversion

The process of changing or converting resources into finished goods or services.

Equivalent Units

A concept used in cost accounting to convert the amount of work done on partially finished goods into the number of fully finished units.

Weighted-average

A method used in accounting and finance to calculate an average that takes into account the varying degrees of importance of the numbers in the dataset.