OTTAWA, (Reuters) – The Canadian Supreme Court yesterday rewrote Canada’s libel laws to give more protection to  reporters who can prove their stories were written in the  public interest.

The nine judges created the defense of “responsible  journalism” to aid publications which do all they can to  produce even-handed and accurate accounts, even if not every  statement turns out to be true.

Several large Canadian media organizations had argued that  the current laws were too strict and made it easy for  plaintiffs to win libel cases.

“A defense that would allow publishers to escape liability  if they can establish that they acted responsibly in attempting  to verify the information on a matter of public interest  represents a reasonable and proportionate response to the need  to protect reputation,” the court said.

The judges cited recent court decisions in Britain, New  Zealand, Australia and South Africa which gave more protection  to the media.

“The current law with respect to statements that are  reliable and important to public debate does not give adequate  weight to the constitutional value of free expression,” the  Supreme Court said in a unanimous ruling.