The+Grant+Judgment

=The Judgment in Grant v. Torstar=

The defence of Public Interest Responsible Communication was created on December 22, 2009 by the Supreme Court of Canada in the case of Grant //v.// Torstar Corp., 2009 SCC 61.

Full text
The full ruling in Grant v. Torstar is [|found at the Supreme Court's website:] http://scc.lexum.umontreal.ca/en/2009/2009scc61/2009scc61.html

The eight factors
To uphold a libel defence of "responsible communication", a Canadian court must be convinced of the public interest in the matter and the defendant publisher's "**diligen[ce] in trying to verify the allegation, having regard to:** //(//Grant v. Torstar Corp., 2009 SCC 61//, para. 126B.)//
 * **(a) the seriousness of the allegation;**
 * **(b) the public importance of the matter;**
 * **(c) the urgency of the matter;**
 * **(d) the status and reliability of the source;**
 * **(e) whether the plaintiff's side of the story was sought and accurately reported;**
 * **(f) whether the inclusion of the defamatory statement was justifiable;**
 * **(g) whether the defamatory statement’s public interest lay in the fact that it was made rather than its truth (“reportage”); and**
 * **(h) any other relevant circumstances."**

Commentary
For commentary on the ruling, see: - Jobb, Dean: "The responsible communication defence: What's in it for journalists?" J-Source.ca, December 23, 2009.[| http://www.j-source.ca/english_new/detail.php?id=4625] - Rosner, Cecil: "What exactly is responsible journalism?" J-Source.ca, December 30, 2009, [] - Fairhurst, Ted: "'A huge sea change' in libel law" J-Source.ca, February 18, 2010. []