Guardian wins Noel Clarke libel case; reporting substantially true

The High Court has ruled in favor of Guardian News and Media, dismissing Noel Clarke’s libel claim after a six-week trial into a series of Guardian articles and a podcast that described allegations of sexual misconduct by the actor and filmmaker. In a judgment delivered by Mrs Justice Steyn, the court found that the reporting was substantially true and that publishing the material was in the public interest. The decision layers on a clear affirmation of investigative journalism, while underscoring the heavy evidentiary standard required to overturn a newspaper’s reporting in a defamation case.

Clarke, 49, had sued Guardian News and Media over seven articles and a podcast published between April 2021 and March 2022, in which more than 20 women described experiences of alleged misconduct. Clarke denied the allegations and argued there was an unlawful conspiracy against him. The Guardian maintained that its reporting was a careful, thorough inquiry grounded in multiple interviews and corroborated accounts, and that the public had a legitimate interest in publishing the claims given his high-profile status in the film and television industry.

The trial’s proceedings featured...