{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/8.01-49.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/8.01-49.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/8.01-49.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/8.01-49.html"}],"law_id":85514,"edition_id":1,"section_id":85514,"structure_id":15583,"section_number":"8.01-49","catch_line":"Defamatory statements in radio and television broadcasts","history":"Code 1950, \u00a7 8-632.1; 1977, c. 617.","full_text":"The owner, licensee or operator of a radio and television broadcasting station or network of stations, and the agents or employees of any such owner, licensee or operator, shall not be liable for any damages for any defamatory statement published or uttered in or as a part of any such broadcast, by one other than such owner, licensee or operator, or agent or employee thereof, unless it shall be alleged and proved by the complaining party, that such owner, licensee, operator, such agent or employee, failed to exercise due care to prevent the publication or utterance of such statement in such broadcast; provided, however, that in no event shall any owner, licensee or operator, or the agents or employees of any such owner, licensee or operator of such a station or network of stations be held liable for damages for any defamatory statement broadcast over the facilities of such station or network by or on behalf of any candidate for public office.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":306338,"text":"The owner, licensee or operator of a radio and television broadcasting station or network of stations, and the agents or employees of any such owner, licensee or operator, shall not be liable for any damages for any defamatory statement published or uttered in or as a part of any such broadcast, by one other than such owner, licensee or operator, or agent or employee thereof, unless it shall be alleged and proved by the complaining party, that such owner, licensee, operator, such agent or employee, failed to exercise due care to prevent the publication or utterance of such statement in such broadcast; provided, however, that in no event shall any owner, licensee or operator, or the agents or employees of any such owner, licensee or operator of such a station or network of stations be held liable for damages for any defamatory statement broadcast over the facilities of such station or network by or on behalf of any candidate for public office.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":15583,"edition_id":1,"name":"Defamation","identifier":"4","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12886,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:56:32","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:56:32","permalink":{"id":280825,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":15583,"identifier":"4","token":"8.01\/3\/4","url":"\/8.01\/3\/4\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12886,"edition_id":1,"name":"Actions","identifier":"3","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12747,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:59","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:59","permalink":{"id":279635,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12886,"identifier":"3","token":"8.01\/3","url":"\/8.01\/3\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12747,"edition_id":1,"name":"Civil Remedies and Procedure","identifier":"8.01","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","permalink":{"id":277029,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12747,"identifier":"8.01","token":"8.01","url":"\/8.01\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":71678,"structure_id":15583,"section_number":"8.01-45","catch_line":"Action for insulting words","url":"\/8.01-45\/","token":"8.01\/3\/4\/8.01-45","metadata":false},{"id":59452,"structure_id":15583,"section_number":"8.01-46","catch_line":"Justification and mitigation of damages","url":"\/8.01-46\/","token":"8.01\/3\/4\/8.01-46","metadata":false},{"id":73041,"structure_id":15583,"section_number":"8.01-46.1","catch_line":"Disclosure of employment-related information; presumptions; causes of action; definitions","url":"\/8.01-46.1\/","token":"8.01\/3\/4\/8.01-46.1","metadata":false},{"id":74317,"structure_id":15583,"section_number":"8.01-46.2","catch_line":"Civil action for dissemination of intimate images to another; penalty","url":"\/8.01-46.2\/","token":"8.01\/3\/4\/8.01-46.2","metadata":false},{"id":65717,"structure_id":15583,"section_number":"8.01-47","catch_line":"Immunity of persons investigating or reporting certain incidents at schools","url":"\/8.01-47\/","token":"8.01\/3\/4\/8.01-47","metadata":false},{"id":83313,"structure_id":15583,"section_number":"8.01-48","catch_line":"Mitigation in actions against newspapers, etc","url":"\/8.01-48\/","token":"8.01\/3\/4\/8.01-48","metadata":false},{"id":85514,"structure_id":15583,"section_number":"8.01-49","catch_line":"Defamatory statements in radio and television broadcasts","url":"\/8.01-49\/","token":"8.01\/3\/4\/8.01-49","metadata":false},{"id":71411,"structure_id":15583,"section_number":"8.01-49.1","catch_line":"Liability for defamatory material on the Internet","url":"\/8.01-49.1\/","token":"8.01\/3\/4\/8.01-49.1","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":83313,"structure_id":15583,"section_number":"8.01-48","catch_line":"Mitigation in actions against newspapers, etc","url":"\/8.01-48\/","token":"8.01\/3\/4\/8.01-48","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":71411,"structure_id":15583,"section_number":"8.01-49.1","catch_line":"Liability for defamatory material on the Internet","url":"\/8.01-49.1\/","token":"8.01\/3\/4\/8.01-49.1","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/8.01-49\/","history_text":"

The record of this law\u2019s original creation isn\u2019t available online. It has been modified 1 time. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. That modification is as follows: in 1977, chapter 617.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":280851,"object_type":"law","relational_id":85514,"identifier":"8.01-49","token":"8.01\/3\/4\/8.01-49","url":"\/8.01-49\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/8.01-49\/","token":"8.01\/3\/4\/8.01-49","dublin_core":{"Title":"Defamatory statements in radio and television broadcasts","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 8.01-49","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

The owner, licensee or operator of a radio and television broadcasting station or network of stations, and the agents or employees of any such owner, licensee or operator, shall not be liable for any damages<\/span> for any defamatory statement published or uttered in or as a part of any such broadcast, by one other than such owner, licensee or operator, or agent or employee thereof, unless it shall be alleged and proved by the complaining party<\/span>, that such owner, licensee, operator, such agent or employee, failed to exercise due care to prevent the publication or utterance of such statement in such broadcast; provided, however, that in no event shall any owner, licensee or operator, or the agents or employees of any such owner, licensee or operator of such a station or network of stations be held liable for damages<\/span> for any defamatory statement broadcast over the facilities of such station or network by or on behalf of any candidate for public office.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nDEFAMATORY STATEMENTS IN RADIO AND TELEVISION BROADCASTS (\u00a7 8.01-49)\n\nThe owner, licensee or operator of a radio and television broadcasting station\nor network of stations, and the agents or employees of any such owner, licensee\nor operator, shall not be liable for any damages for any defamatory statement\npublished or uttered in or as a part of any such broadcast, by one other than\nsuch owner, licensee or operator, or agent or employee thereof, unless it shall\nbe alleged and proved by the complaining party, that such owner, licensee,\noperator, such agent or employee, failed to exercise due care to prevent the\npublication or utterance of such statement in such broadcast; provided, however,\nthat in no event shall any owner, licensee or operator, or the agents or\nemployees of any such owner, licensee or operator of such a station or network\nof stations be held liable for damages for any defamatory statement broadcast\nover the facilities of such station or network by or on behalf of any candidate\nfor public office.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1950, \u00a7 8-632.1; 1977, c. 617.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}