Opinion ID: 2295379
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Reports in the public press

Text: In his writ the plaintiff apparently seeks to hold the defendant liable for repeated publications in the public press of the criminal charges brought against him. He does not contend that the press reports were inaccurate, or that the defendant issued press releases or did any other act other than those already discussed above. This case is therefore distinguishable from Hutchinson v. Proxmire, 99 S. Ct. 2675 (1979), in which the defendant had issued broad statements to the press and his constituents going far beyond mere reports of speeches made on the floor of the United States Senate. [17] The newspapers that might have carried reports of McGranahan's arrest, trial, and ultimate acquittal had full access to the trial and to the complaint, which was a public record, and could not be held liable for accurately reporting that information. Smith v. Daily Mail Publ. Co., 99 S. Ct. 2667 (1979); Cox Broadcasting Corp. v. Cohn, 420 U.S. 469 (1975). We have already held that the defendant had an absolute privilege to report suspected criminal activity to the police and to testify on the State's behalf at the trial. We hardly see how he can be held liable for legitimate secondary reports of the arrest and prosecution.