A California court of appeals ruled that when a talk show commentator reported that a former high school principal used school resources to sell ads for a gay magazine, he was exempt from libel charges under a state laws that protects journalists reporting on government matters.
The former principal had had earlier lost a ruling in trial court on his claim under the anti-SLAPP law. The appeals court also found that the principal was a public figure and the matter was of concern to the public. -db
From The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, June 6, 2011, by Aaron Mackey.