Slander

Slander is spoken defamation which tends to injure a person's reputation. It is contrasted with libel.

Slander is rarely an issue on the internet because very little is "spoken" over the internet.

The Communications Decency Act[1] protects internet service providers (ISP) and websites by mandating that they are not "publishers" or "speakers" for purposes of secondary liability. They cannot be held secondarily liable even if the plaintiff showed "actual malice" against the victim of the slander. Accordingly, websites are almost never responsible for the postings by their users.

## Contents

* 1 Slander, Calumny, Detraction
* 2 Examples
* 3 Slander in Religion
* 4 Slander in Buddhism
* 5 See also
* 6 References
* 7 External links

## Slander, Calumny, Detraction[edit]

To tell lies about another person is called slander or calumny.

To reveal the actual hidden faults or sins of another without sufficient cause, in such wise that the person's reputation or good name is seriously damaged, is called the sin of detraction.

## Examples[edit]

1. During his Cafferty File segment on CNN, Jack Cafferty asked viewers: "Should Republicans stop listening to Rush Limbaugh?" Cafferty referred to the radio host as "that gasbag Limbaugh,[2] while referencing comments made by Colin Powell during an interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria.[3] While reading viewer emails after the initial set-up, all of which were anti-Limbaugh, he relayed a very serious charge from "Connie in Chicago." Cafferty read: "Yes! Limbaugh is a far-right agitator of the worst sort with a 1950's mentality of what values 21st century America should reflect. I expect him and other like-minded Sean Hannity's of the world to step out of their closet and display their white sheets and dunce caps. Limbaugh is a bad joke."

## Slander in Religion[edit]

According to some interpretations, slander is prohibited by God in the Ten Commandments. This can be extrapolated from Commandment 9 "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor." Satan manifests in Hollywood and liberal media through its insidious slander, gossip and ad hominem arguments, as seen in tabloid-style radio and television, yellow journalism and journalistic malpractice. Conservative and liberal religious groups and denominations which falsely misrepresent the teachings and doctrines or dogmas of any other religious group or denomination, especially in polemical arguments against them, are engaging in slander or calumny. Almost the whole task of apologetics is occupied with answering slanderous charges with reasonable evidence based on fact and documentation.

## Slander in Buddhism[edit]

In Buddhist morality, the Five Precepts, which are required to receive as a formal oath or vow in order to be a Buddhist (unlike many liberals who call themselves Buddhists while ignoring morality), specifically forbid slander, gossip or "divisive speech" in the Fourth Precept which also forbids lying, lewd or lascivious speech (profanity), and harsh speech.

## See also[edit]

* Yellow journalism
* Journalistic malpractice
* Slander (book)
* Great Apostasy
* ''The Two Babylons''
* "Catholic Heresies and Traditions Adopted and Perpetuated by the Roman Catholic Church in the Course of 1600 Years"

## References[edit]

1. ↑ 47 U.S.C. §230(c)(1)
2. ↑ ["http://newsbusters.org/blogs/brad-wilmouth/2008/12/15/cafferty-slams-gasbag-limbaugh-reads-e-mail-comparing-rush-hannity-kk]
3. ↑ [1]

## External links[edit]

* Calumny and Detraction (catholiceducation.org)