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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/10487
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

There is no way to absolutely prevent lawsuits; if you're going to cover controversial topics and name names, there's a risk that people will get upset and seek to take action. But there are some things you can do to "write defensively", so to speak. Following are some things I was taught in college in a journalism context.

- Attribute claims to sources. Don't just say "so-and-so secretly works for this organization"; show how you know. "According to {the organization boss, last year's tax filing, such-and-such article in the newspaper...}, this person wroks for...". Don't _originate_ claims if you can instead _report_ them.

- _Have_ sources. Often the truth is a defense against libel or slander, so if you do get sued, being able to prove what you said will be enormously helpful.

- If you need to make claims of your own, phrase them so as to show a path from what you know to your conclusion. Don't just assert. "We know X and Y, and in other cases X and Y mean Z, and it seems to me that Z is possible here...". Sometimes this involves "weasel words" ("maybe", "it appears", etc) and that can be distasteful. I'm not saying that you shouldn't make strong assertions of fact; I'm saying that you should choose when it's important enough to do so.

- Unless your specific goal is some sort of polemic or other "rile people up" presentation, keep the rhetoric and emotions in check. If your presentation sounds calm and logical it may upset fewer people. Nobody likes to feel like he's being ranted about.

Original score: 6