Reynolds v Times Newspapers Ltd

Reynolds v Times Newspapers Ltd was a House of Lords case in English defamation law concerning qualified privilege for publication of defamatory statements in the public interest.
The case provided the Reynolds defence, which could be raised where it was clear that the journalist had a duty to publish an allegation even if it turned out to be wrong. In adjudicating on an attempted Reynolds defence a court would investigate the conduct of the journalist and the content of the publication. The subsequent case of Jameel v Wall Street Journal Europe affirmed the defence, which was subsequently raised successfully in several defamation proceedings. The defence was abolished by s4 Defamation Act 2013.
Facts
Albert Reynolds had been the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland until a political crisis in 1994. The Times had published an article in Ireland to the effect that Reynolds had misled the Irish Parliament; this article...