This guide has been prepared to assist you to manage legal risks in publishing or broadcasting to the public. It also covers advertising material. The spoken word, printed word, a photograph, cartoon or even a gesture can all be defamatory.
Defamation can occur in the print media, on the radio, the TV or on the internet.
In fact it can occur whenever the defamatory material is communicated, whether by sight or sound, to someone other than the person defamed. Both individuals and companies can be defamed. You can defame someone even though you do not specifically name them. Another fallacy is that individuals cannot be defamed by referring to them collectively as a group. Careful drafting so that the defamatory meaning is contained in innuendo or impliedly will not avoid liability.