In the libel cases of New York Times v. Sullivan and Associated Press v. Walker, the plaintiffs (those suing for libel) lost for which of the following reasons?
A) in both cases, the plaintiffs were really obnoxious
B) they could not prove financial loss
C) they were public figures and could not prove actual malice
D) they cold not prove that the information was published or broadcast
E) they were not identified in the communications to the point at which readers/viewers/listeners would know whom was being referred to

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In both the New York Times v. Sullivan and Associated Press v. Walker cases, the plaintiffs were public figures and therefore needed to prove that the defendant acted with actual malice (knowledge of falsity or reckless disregard for the truth). They were unable to do so, resulting in their loss. Choice A is irrelevant and subjective, choice B may be a factor in some libel cases but was not the reason for these particular cases, choice D is false as the information was published/broadcast, and choice E may also be a factor in some libel cases but was not the reason for these particular cases.

In the Libel Cases of New York Times V