In 2009 the Supreme Court of Canada decided two cases that recognized public interest responsible journalism as a new defence to the tort of defamation. Discuss some of the factors that courts might consider in applying this defence.

In Grant v. Torstar Corp., and Cusson v. Quan the SCC adopted 10 factors from the House of Lords decision in Reynolds v. Times Newspapers Ltd., Factors include: seriousness of the allegation; the nature of the information and public concern; the source and steps taken to verify; the status of the information and the urgency of the matter; was the plaintiff's side told and were they able to comment; and finally the timing of the story.