Historian Juan Cole (Michigan) Responds to Libel by WSJ Hack John Fund (Leiter)

Here.  The fabricated quote Fund attributes to Cole is probably libelous, but the tricky issue with defamation in the U.S. (except in the case of per se libel, which this is not) is always proof of damage.  (Lots of material that is defamatory in intent--there are reams of it on the Internet about Cole, Noam Chomsky, and even obscure me--is written by people of such transparent mental instability, stupidity or obscurity, that no damage is done, and so it's hardly worth bothering about.)  What makes this case potentially interesting is that Mr. Fund's purpose in fabricating quotations is quite clearly to damage Mr. Cole professionally by bringing pressure on Yale University not to hire him, and he is doing so in a public forum where it could really have that effect.   Of course, even if Yale does not go forward with an offer, it may be hard to identify the cause of that decision.  I hope Professor Cole is not forced to bring a legal action, but it is really well past time for some of these right-wing slime artists to be brought to justice for their malicious lies and smears.