Slander is a false statement made orally to a third party that holds another person up to public ridicule, hatred, or scorn, injuring that person’s reputation in the eyes of the public. Such false statements are also known as defamation, and when put in writing, they are called libel. Many people today use the term libel for all defamatory statements regardless of the delivery method. In fact, some scholars have argued that courts should do away with the distinction between libel (written defamation) and slander (oral defamation) because the original rationale for slander no longer exists. Nonetheless, slander remains a distinct form of defamation.

Slanderous statements made about an organization can negatively affect its reputation. Stakeholders hear the false information and assume it to be true. ...