Criminal Law, 2019 Bar — Question A.7-a

ESSAY

Mr. L is a newspaper reporter who writes about news items concerning the judiciary. Mr. L believed that members of the judiciary can be criticized and exposed for the prohibited acts that they commit by virtue of the public nature of their offices. Upon receiving numerous complaints from private citizens, Mr. L released a scathing newspaper expose involving Judge G and his alleged acts constituting graft and corruption. Consequently, Mr. L was charged with the crime of Libel. In response, Mr. L contended that truth is a valid defense in Libel and, in this relation, claimed that he was only exposing the truth regarding Judge G's misdeeds. Further, Mr. L contended that in any event, his expose on Judge G is based on the complaints he received from private citizens, and as such, should be deemed as a mere fair commentary on a matter of public interest. (a) Are the contentions of Mr. L tenable? Explain. (3%)

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