PA#@>Well, It's been a very busy week for me so far, but...
PA#@>I did make a phone call to get info for a story I'm working on.  (research
PA#@>The man I spoke with told me to call him back and we would give me real na
PA#@>of people and places to use  in my story.

PA#@>The question is, can I use a living person's name without their permission
PA#@>as long as I don't slander them?  Such as, using a person as a prop like:

PA#@>Yeah, I even played with Joe Montana and he gave me some real good pointer

I don't know why you couldn't use a name like Joe's in this type of
context.
I've sometimes used the name of a public figure to set up a lead for an
article (f'instance--Joan Crawford, Riddick Bowe).  I've sometimes
quoted people about their inspiration or influences for their success
(like the guy who named his CD store the Beat Hotel after an album by a
particular group...and a literary reference)...this seems similar to
your example...
And none of these references have been cut by my newspaper editor.

I don't see any prohibition for using names in this manner in my AP
Stylebook and Libel Manual...most of the libel passages deal with using
names and pictures in a "malicious" manner...or in such a way that it
violates the privacy of a person.

BTW--isn't *slander* a verbal slagging of someone?  Libel
refers to *written* falacies about someone...doesn't it?


 * OLX 2.1 TD * I "saw" Dommy on MuchMusic