California court rules talk show commentator shielded from libel under fair report privilege
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