Retract,Expand: Libel Law,the Professionalization of Journalism,and the Limits of Press Freedom at the Turn of the Twentieth Century

At the turn of the twentieth century, many judges and juries considered libel law to be a robust check against a reckless and sensational press. So how did the newspaper industry convince seventeen state legislatures between 1885 and 1915 to pass laws easing liability for accidental libel? This article analyzes a debate surrounding libel law reform to tell the story of how retraction statutes were conceived in press association meetings, enacted in spite of lawyers' reservations, and challenged in state supreme courts during a pivotal era in the professionalization of journalism. It offers a better understanding of the power of the institutional press to influence Americans' conception of the purpose of press freedom and the role of journalism in democratic society, and a clearer picture of the beginnings of a more press friendly era in libel law, from the wire service defense to the actual malice standard.