What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Colorado
Hello, this is my first post. I want to know the legal ramifications of talking to a local newspaper about the insides and negative points of a school. This includes students cheating and administration behavior. This will in fact hurt the school's reputation, all statements are fact. The word I would use is "Expose"
Most responsible newspapers will not print a story without verifying facts and information first. They do not want to be sued for libel any more than you should want to be sued for slander for relating unsubstantiated stories about the school and the school staff/administration to others.
That said, there is nothing that prevents you from approaching a newspaper reporter whose stories you trust and telling what you know. If the story seems compelling enough, the reporter will do a preliminary investigation to get a sense of what is going on and then discuss the story idea with his/her editor. What happens from there depends on what you have disclosed to the reporter, and on what is uncovered by the reporter in his own investigation, and on what the editor believes could be of interest to the public.
You might want to speak to an attorney in your area prior to discussing what you have learned with the reporter. You need to protect yourself against making public any false claims about any named or identifiable individuals. The reporter is able to protect to an extent his sources (you) but there is no guarantee that your name will not become associated with the story. Newspapers are not fond of using anonymous sources. They want to be able to support to the readers the truth of their stories.
The worst that can happen, I suppose, is that you are sued for defamation. The best that can happen, I suppose, is that illegal or unethical actions by the school are exposed and are dealt with. I agree with Tiger D that newspapers frequently are provided story ideas from readers that will never make it to the paper, for a whole host of reasons.
