Unfortunately for journalists, the only sure way of avoiding guilt in libel suits, is, as the law states, to "prove that what was reported was true." For news hounds sniffing out a good scoop and scurrying to meet daily deadlines, triple-checking each and every fact before publishing is just not practical.
而現行法律對新聞工作者不利之處在，刑法誹謗罪免責要件之一是，「能證明其為真實者，不罰。」對每天在「截稿死期」奔波的記者而言，搶新聞講究準快狠，如果每則新聞記者都得再三查詢，確定為「真實」才能寫，在實務上辦得到嗎？