Public disclosure of private facts requires that the disclosed information be highly offensive to a reasonable person and not newsworthy.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Only applies to entertainment media
• D. Requires government approval

Answer: (A)

Public disclosure of private facts hinges on two thresholds: the information disclosed must be highly offensive to a reasonable person and it must not be newsworthy. Those elements define when a publication of private information crosses into liability. The “highly offensive” standard protects intimate or sensitive details that most people would find invasive, while the “not newsworthy” requirement ensures that information of legitimate public interest or value to the public cannot be chilled by liability. Importantly, truth alone isn’t necessarily a defense here; consent or other privileges can negate liability, and if the facts are newsworthy, the claim typically fails. So, the statement that liability requires both highly offensive to a reasonable person and not newsworthy is correct.