Reputation, Celebrity and Defamation Law

Using Robert Post's seminal article 'The Social Foundations of Reputation and the Constitution' as a starting point, this book argues that the concept of reputation changes historically, reflecting social, political, economic, cultural and technological changes. It also suggests that the value of a good reputation is not immutable and analyses the history and doctrines of defamation law in the US and the UK. Concepts of defamation law are illustrated via case studies from recent Australian defamation law which give general insight into the nature of particular concepts of reputation. Leading on from the case studies and drawing on approaches to celebrity in media and cultural studies, the author conceptualises reputation as a media construct and demonstrates that reputation as celebrity is of great contemporary relevance at this point in the history of defamation law.