Mary Firestone Reputation

906 Words2 Pages

Reputation is something valuable. It is the first thing that people have a particular opinion of when they hear a name, a brand, or a company. For many people their reputations have been ruined by slanders and libels. Reputations have been damaged by reporters and journalists that say or published the untruthfulness in their work, before gathering all the facts that they need before publication. Even after reporters recant their statements personals can still face the consequences of the original false accusations. For Mary Alice Firestone her reputation went on a 180-degree flip once she filed for divorce. Her husband Russell A. Firestone, Jr. who was an heir to the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company filed for a counterclaim on the grounds …show more content…

v. Firestone, (1976) Mary Firestone had to prove five things to win her libel suit. First, she had to prove that the statement from her former husband, that she was cruel and committed adultery was false. Then, she had to prove that that statement was harmful to her reputation. As a former schoolteacher in the Palm Beach community she had a certain standard to uphold, with the article being published it damaged her creditability. Committing adultery is also a shameful crime, and damages a person’s creditability. The counterclaim divorce from Russell A. Firestone, Jr. was then published in the Time, Inc. under the Milestone section. Mary Firestone was clearly identified by her soon to be ex-husband’s full name, a reference to his family heir, her full name, her age, her career, and even her son was mentioned. Lastly she had proven that the journalist acted negligently and did not have all the correct facts. Even when the journalist found out that he or she did not have everything correct they did not retract the article and counteract the mistakes that were …show more content…

Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist’s credibility.” (21). The goal of journalist is to earn the trust of the people and publish the truth to the public. Each journalist should find truth and report it objectively. Although the first amendment protects the freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and to petition the government, it does have limitations. For example, a reporter cannot spread lies that harm a person’s reputation or ability to earn a living. That includes books, newspapers, magazines, radio, televisions, and the internet. In the case of Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc., the Supreme Court of the United State established the standard of the first amendment. The first amendment permits the states to calculate their own standards of libel for defamatory statements made about individuals. The court decided that, as long as they did not impose liability without fault, states are free to establish their own standards of liability for defamatory statements made about

More about Mary Firestone Reputation

Open Document