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Article: 

David A. Anderson, Libel and Press Self-Censorship, 53 TEXAS L. REV. 422 (1975). 

The line of libel cases from New York Times v. Sullivan (1964) to Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc. (1975) extend a privilege to the press to discuss the character and qualifications of public officials and candidates for public office.  This privilege has made recovery more difficult for libel plaintiffs, and it has been assumed that, conversely, it has diminished the danger of self-censorship in the press.  In this article, Professor Anderson contends that while the former may be true, it is not necessarily the case that self-censorship has been diminished.  The Times-Gertz line of cases has made libel defense very costly for defendants because it has complicated the law, especially in the importation of negligence concepts.  Further, the privilege is unduly restrained in its limitation to certain segments of the press and certain types of discussion.  This article evaluates that relationship between the Times privilege and press self-censorship.