Opinion ID: 1505898
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Broadcasts as a Whole

Text: A jury in this type of action must consider the broadcasts in their entirety when determining whether the statements and inferences within it are false and defamatory. Ball, 801 S.W.2d at 688. A defamatory publication must be considered as a whole because the cumulative effect of the facts may support the finding by the jury of actual malice. See Mucci v. Dayton Newspapers, Inc., 71 Ohio Misc.2d 71, 654 N.E.2d 1068 (Ohio Com.Pl.1995). In Ball , the jury was asked to consider the entire publication, some of which contained false and defamatory material and some of which did not. Ball, 801 S.W.2d at 686 (a related article which was not in itself defamatory was significant as it related to the malice which can be inferred from the heavy-handed way in which it was written.) See also Harte-Hanks . This case is full of evidence from which the jury could conclude that WHAS-TV acted with actual malice. Among the evidence was the following: that there was a failure to correct any inaccuracies; that there was a continuing commitment to running and rerunning the same story line; that there was a significant failure to investigate or verify credibility; and the general makeup and presentation of the story exhibited hostility. A reasonable trier of fact could determine that there was defamation. Cf. Yancey v. Hamilton, 786 S.W.2d 854 (Ky.1989).