The “Wire Service” Libel Defense

Abstract

Local news media can safely republish defamatory stories furnished by reputable wire services on the basis of the “wire service” libel defense. The powerful, but often neglected, libel defense has been applied to at least twenty reported cases in thirteen jurisdictions. Its success rate has been almost 100 percent. From the First Amendment perspective, the wire service defense, which has its genesis in Layne v. Tribune Co. (1933), adds considerably to free debate as an additional weapon for the press to tackle meritless libel suits.