The Supreme Court declined Monday to consider whether journalists have constitutional protections allowing them to safely report defamatory comments made by public figures, so long as the comments are described neutrally.
Without comment, justices let stand a state court ruling in favor of two Parkesburg, Pa., officials who sued over a 1995 article in the Daily Local News in West Chester, Pa. As a result, journalists publishing in Pennsylvania will need to scrutinize public statements more closely for truth or face potential liability.
