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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>85514</law_id><section_number>8.01-49</section_number><catch_line>Defamatory statements in radio and television broadcasts</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="8.01">Civil Remedies and Procedure</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="3">Actions</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="4">Defamation</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>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 <span class="dictionary">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 <span class="dictionary">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 <span class="dictionary">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></text><history>Code 1950, &#xA7; 8-632.1; 1977, c. 617.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
