Defamation

Defamation is any false statement that hurts the reputation of a person. For example, claiming that a person is guilty of  a crime without actual evidence or reason to do so, would be considered defamation. The two types of defamation are called slander and libel. Slander is, "defamation that occurs in a transitory form, such as speech." Meaning, if someone were to be having a discussion with someone else and they falsely accused someone of something in the heat of an argument. Libel is, "published of broadcast defamation." Meaning it is defamation that is thought out beforehand, and someone consciously made the decision to say or publish the comment. This occurs on TV or the radio, and libel is generally punished more harshly than slander, because slander could almost be considered "accidental".