The end of libel lawsuits

For the first time in her nearly three decades at the world’s largest magazine company, there are no active libel suits against Time Inc. In fact, there hasn’t been an active libel suit in 11 months.

And she isn’t alone. “It’s never been lower,” said George Freeman, the New York Times Company’s vice president and assistant general counsel, on the number of libel suits his company is facing…

Media lawyers have a few theories to explain the rapid decline. A track record of limited success for plaintiffs discourages people from filing such cases-clearly a good for media organizations. In addition, the Web has allowed for quick corrections, heading lawsuits off before they are even filed. Some individuals now even post their own responses on the Web, allowing them to vent steam before heading to court.

On the darker side, some media pros wonder whether the declining finances of media companies may be limiting the type of journalism that used to anger subjects and produce libel suits…

“There’s so much more out there,” said Ms. Bierstedt. “People will feel less offended by that one newspaper or magazine sitting around.”