It’s every journalist’s nightmare: being sued for libel – at least at first. It’s chilling and potentially career-ending. Unscrupulous people know this and it’s their weapon of choice. But there is a way to fight that – by getting it right in the first place.
- On this training, participants will learn:
- What constitutes the offence of libel
- How to avoid libelling someone unintentionally
- How to limit your liability when you do it in any case
- How to defend yourself when the libel you have published is true
Trainer Bio
Kevin Ritchie, 57, is a former South African newspaper editor. He spent 27 years at what is today Independent Media, including editing the company’s smallest daily newspaper, the Diamond Fields Advertiser, in Kimberley, and its flagship newspaper, The Star, in Johannesburg.
Ritchie studied law, African political studies and journalism at Rhodes University in Makhanda (Grahamstown). He is a fellow of the African Leadership Institute/Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa programme. He won several South African awards during his journalism career and wrote the seminal two-volume Reporting the Courts – A Handbook for South African Journalists in 2007, as well as co-authoring The A-Z of South African Politics (Jacana) in 2019.
After leaving journalism, Ritchie founded a media consultancy, which provides a range of communication services. The consultancy also offers training for journalists and communicators, as well as coaching for editors and CEOs. Ritchie continues to write a syndicated weekly opinion column in the Saturday Star.