Editing Defamation (section)

{{short description|Any communication that can injure a third party's reputation}}
{{for|the film|Defamation (film){{!}}''Defamation'' (film)}}
{{redirect2|Libel|Slander|the Wikipedia policy on libel|Wikipedia:Libel|other uses|Libel (disambiguation)|and|Slander (disambiguation)}}
{{use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{use Oxford spelling |date=August 2023}} <!-- Reason: Used in the UN. See: Official languages of the United Nations. Prefer (rather than use). Not inside quotes. Not for proper nouns. Probably not in specific English-speaking country sections (US, etc.). -->

{{law sidebar}}{{Discrimination sidebar}}
'''Defamation''' is a [[communication]] that injures a third party's [[reputation]] and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making [[wikt:assertion|assertions]] that are [[wikt:falsifiable|falsifiable]], and can extend to concepts that are more abstract than reputation{{snd}}like [[dignity]] and [[honour]]. 

In the English-speaking world, the law of defamation traditionally distinguishes between '''libel''' (written, printed, posted online, published in mass media) and '''slander''' (oral speech). It is treated as a [[civil wrong]] ([[tort]], [[delict]]), as a [[crime|criminal offence]], or both.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/defamation |title=Defamation |website=[[Legal Information Institute]] |access-date=27 July 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/defamation |title=Defamation {{!}} Definition, Slander vs. Libel, & Facts |publisher=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |access-date=27 July 2022}}</ref><ref name="OSCE Report 2017"/><ref name="OSCE Report 2005"/>{{additional citation needed |date=June 2022 |reason=Would like comprehensive reports for the Global South / rest of the world, similar to those from the OSCE.}}

Defamation and related laws can encompass a variety of acts (from general defamation and insult{{snd}}as applicable to every citizen&nbsp;&ndash;‍ to specialized provisions covering specific entities and social structures):{{sfn |OSCE Report |2017 |pp=31{{ndash}}33}}{{additional citation needed |date=June 2022 |reason=Would like comprehensive reports for the Global South / rest of the world, similar to those from the OSCE.}}

* Defamation against a [[legal person]] in general
* Insult against a legal person in general
* Acts against [[public officials]]
* Acts against state institutions ([[government]], [[ministry (government department)|ministries]], [[government agencies]], [[armed forces]])
* Acts against [[national symbol|state symbols]]
* Acts against the [[sovereign state|state]] itself
* Acts against [[heads of state]]
* Acts against [[religion]]s ([[blasphemy]])
* Acts against the [[judiciary]] or [[legislature]] ([[contempt of court]])