Kbmt Operating Company, LLC, Kbmt License Company, LLC, Brian Burns, Jackie Simien and Tracy Kennick v. Minda Lao Toledo

JUSTICE GREEN, JUSTICE GUZMAN, JUSTICE LEHRMANN, JUSTICE DEVINE, and JUSTICE BROWN joined.

The First Amendment requires that a private individual who sues a media defendant for defamation over statements of public concern bear the burden of proving that the statements were false — that is, that the gist of the statements wás not substantially true.1 We hold that the truth of a media report of official proceedings of public concern must be measured against the proceedings themselves, not against information oútside the proceedings. The media may report on the proceedings themselves without…