IANAL, and libel laws vary from state to state, but in the United States if something is true, it's not libel. However, not being true isn't necessarily the sam

IANAL, and libel laws vary from state to state, but in the United States if something is true, it's not libel. However, not being true isn't necessarily the same as being false. Or, more specifically, not being provably true is not the same as being provably not true. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_defamation_law http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_defamation_law "...the truth should be an absolute defense against libel charges." "Also, the truth of the allegedly defamatory statement will always negate the claim (whether because the plaintiff fails to meet his/her burden of proving falsity or because the defendant proves the statement to be true)." The second quote implies a burden of proof upon the plaintiff to prove the statements false, although the main wikipedia article on defamation also mentions publishing with reckless disregard for verifying the veracity. Dunno if that second category applies in the US.