'The Making of the Modern Law of Defamation' by Paul Mitchell: Hart Publishing, 2005, vii-xxix + 283pp, Hbk £40, ISBN 1-84113-304-3.

Abstract

Many years ago (or so it seems, looking back on it) the law of defamation was part of the law of torts. It was a splendid example of the breadth of this category of private law and it illustrated the full diversity of a branch of the law that derived from theaction on the case. Then, all of a sudden, defamation began to be excised from the law of torts and became part of something called "media law". Apologetic writers of tort textbooks and casebooks kept the chapters on defamation but the reality today is that defamation is seen as being more accurately described as part of media law than the law of torts. Mitchell's excellent book not only explains some of the reasons for this change but also provides considerable food for thought as to the appropriate classification of the law of defamation.