The act of writing and publishing untrue and damaging information about another person or business is called

• A. Slander
• B. Libel
• C. Defamation
• D. Infringement

Answer: (B)

Defamation is false statements that harm someone’s reputation. When those false statements are written and published, the act is libel. That’s why libel is the correct term here—the harmful, published false information about another person or business is written, not spoken. Slander would be the spoken equivalent, while defamation is the broader category that covers both written and spoken forms. Infringement isn’t about harming reputation; it relates to violations of rights like copyrights or trademarks. A key point to remember is that truth and certain defenses (such as opinion presented as opinion, or privileged communications) can protect against defamation.