Libel, defamation, and slander all involve intentionally making false statements that harm a person's reputation. Libel refers to publishing untrue statements in print or broadcast that damage someone's reputation. Defamation includes both libel and slander, which is making an untrue oral statement that harms someone's reputation. While libel, defamation, and slander can all negatively impact someone, they differ in that libel involves written untrue statements, defamation encompasses both written and oral statements, and slander specifically refers to untrue oral statements.