Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Indiana

This is more of a request for information and resources than, strictly, a question. I am wondering about U.S. law generally and Indiana law specifically regarding the rights of journalists, both student and those unaffiliated with any school, in the production, writing, and distribution of newspapers, newsletters, and particularly zines. What are the limits and definitions of defamation, slander, etc. in the state of Indiana, and who can sue and why. If the publication is both in print and online, but written anonymously, can people and institutions, such as a school, initiate litigation against said publication and would it be possible, in such a case, to legally discover the identities of individual writers?

To give more specific information, the publication would be targeting and discussing a particular public school system and, as such, the journalists would wish to protect their rights to honestly discuss the practices of this institution. Any articles or other resources on this topic, again specific to the state of Indiana, would be very much appreciated.

Thanks so much!


Asked on 7/28/10, 8:06 pm

2 Answers from Attorneys
Jay Rigdon Rockhill Pinnick LLP

Sorry, the attorneys on this forum do not have the resources to provide this breadth of information, or to act as research assistants. I can tell you that to think that anonymity will be preserved and therefore protect the journalist is unrealistic.

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Answered on 8/03/10, 7:02 am

You might try performing a search in Google Scholar.

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Answered on 8/06/10, 4:11 am


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