Opinion ID: 2052142
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Heading: Development of Defamation Law.

Text: In order to fully discuss the issues raised in this appeal, it will be necessary to review the development of defamation law. Initially, defamation law consisted primarily of a complex set of common-law rules developed by the state courts. See Note, Iowa Libel Law and the First Amendment: Defamation Displaced, 62 Iowa L.Rev. 1067, 1068 (1977). The Supreme Court viewed defamation law as entirely outside the reach of the first amendment. See Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire, 315 U.S. 568, 571-72, 62 S.Ct. 766, 769, 86 L.Ed. 1031, 1035 (1942) (dicta). The Supreme Court first applied the first amendment to defamation law in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254, 84 S.Ct. 710, 11 L.Ed.2d 686 (1964). New York Times afforded first amendment protection to defamation concerning the official conduct of a public official. Even if the defamatory statements were false, the plaintiff was required to show that the statements were made with actual malice, which is defined as knowledge of the falsity or reckless disregard of possible falsity. Id. at 279-80, 84 S.Ct. at 726, 11 L.Ed.2d at 706. The holding of New York Times was limited to speech about public officials, and extended protection even to negligently false speech about public officials. This protection of negligent speech was granted because the Court feared that the common-law standard of strict liability would have a chilling effect on constitutionally valuable speech. Id. at 277-80, 84 S.Ct. at 723-25, 11 L.Ed.2d at 705-07. The avowed purpose of New York Times is to insulate from liability those who undertake to comment on the conduct of public officials in the discharge of their official duties unless actual malice is shown. McCarney v. Des Moines Register & Tribune, 239 N.W.2d 152, 156 (Iowa 1976). In the wake of New York Times, a plurality of the Court extended actual malice protection to all discussion and communication involving matters of public or general concern, without regard to whether the persons involved are famous or anonymous. Rosenbloom v. Metromedia, Inc., 403 U.S. 29, 49, 91 S.Ct. 1811, 1820, 29 L.Ed.2d 296, 315 (1971) (plurality). The Rosenbloom standards were rejected in Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc., 418 U.S. 323, 94 S.Ct. 2997, 41 L.Ed.2d 789 (1974). See generally Vinson v. Linn-Mar Community School Dist., 360 N.W.2d 108, 117 (Iowa 1984) (discussing Gertz ). Gertz allowed for some reduction of constitutional safeguards by providing for two levels of protection. Speech concerning public officials and public figures was still protected by the actual malice requirement. For private plaintiffs, the states were free to interpret state law and apply any level of protection for the defendant below strict liability. Gertz, 418 U.S. at 346-47, 94 S.Ct. at 3010, 41 L.Ed.2d at 809. Gertz also provided that the actual malice standard applied to any award of punitive damages in an action for defamation. Id. at 349-50, 94 S.Ct. at 3012, 41 L.Ed.2d at 811. With this discussion as a background, we now consider the issues raised in this appeal.