§ 73.057.Timely and Sufficient Correction, Clarification, or Retraction

Title 4. Liability in Tort · Chapter 73. Libel · Subchapter B. Correction, Clarification, or Retraction by Publisher · Last amended 2013 · Last verified August 29, 2026

In one sentenceSection 73.057 makes a correction timely within 30 days and sufficient if published in the same manner and medium or reaching substantially the same audience, with an Internet publication corrected by appending to the original.

Full Text of § 73.057

Text sizeJump to: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

(a)A correction, clarification, or retraction is timely if it is made not later than the 30th day after receipt of:

(1)the request for the correction, clarification, or retraction; or

(2)the information requested under Section 73.056(a).

(b)A correction, clarification, or retraction is sufficient if it is published in the same manner and medium as the original publication or, if that is not possible, with a prominence and in a manner and medium reasonably likely to reach substantially the same audience as the publication complained of and:

(1)is publication of an acknowledgment that the statement specified as false and defamatory is erroneous;

(2)is an allegation that the defamatory meaning arises from other than the express language of the publication and the publisher disclaims an intent to communicate that meaning or to assert its truth;

(3)is a statement attributed to another person whom the publisher identifies and the publisher disclaims an intent to assert the truth of the statement; or

(4)is publication of the requestor's statement of the facts, as set forth in a request for correction, clarification, or retraction, or a fair summary of the statement, exclusive of any portion that is defamatory of another, obscene, or otherwise improper for publication.

(c)If a request for correction, clarification, or retraction has specified two or more statements as false and defamatory, the correction, clarification, or retraction may deal with the statements individually in any manner provided by Subsection (b).

(d)Except as provided by Subsection (e), a correction, clarification, or retraction is published with a prominence and in a manner and medium reasonably likely to reach substantially the same audience as the publication complained of if:

(1)it is published in a later issue, edition, or broadcast of the original publication;

(2)publication is in the next practicable issue, edition, or broadcast of the original publication because the publication will not be published within the time limits established for a timely correction, clarification, or retraction; or

(3)the original publication no longer exists and if the correction, clarification, or retraction is published in the newspaper with the largest general circulation in the region in which the original publication was distributed.

(e)If the original publication was on the Internet, a correction, clarification, or retraction is published with a prominence and in a manner and medium reasonably likely to reach substantially the same audience as the publication complained of if the publisher appends to the original publication the correction, clarification, or retraction.

End

Plain-English Summary

What a publisher must do, and by when, to obtain the Act's protection.

Timely means not later than the 30th day after receipt of the request, or of the information requested about falsity.

Sufficient requires publication in the same manner and medium as the original or, if that is not possible, with a prominence and in a manner and medium reasonably likely to reach substantially the same audience — and one of four contents:

an acknowledgment that the statement is erroneous; an allegation that the defamatory meaning arises from other than the express language with a disclaimer of intent to communicate or assert it; a statement attributed to an identified person with a disclaimer of intent to assert its truth; or publication of the requestor's own statement of the facts, or a fair summary, excluding anything defamatory of another, obscene, or otherwise improper.

The four options are graduated. A publisher confident it was wrong acknowledges the error; one that disputes the imputed meaning disclaims it; one reporting another's statement identifies the source; and one unwilling to do any of those may publish the claimant's version.

Subsection (d) supplies safe harbours on prominence: a later issue or broadcast of the original publication, the next practicable issue where the deadline would otherwise be missed, or — where the original publication no longer exists — the newspaper with the largest general circulation in the region.

Subsection (e) handles online publication: if the original was on the Internet, the correction is sufficiently prominent if the publisher appends the correction to the original publication. The correction travels with the article rather than appearing separately.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a publisher have to correct?

Thirty days after receiving the request, or after receiving the information about falsity if it asked for that.

Where must the correction appear?

In the same manner and medium as the original, or with a prominence and in a manner reasonably likely to reach substantially the same audience.

How is an online article corrected?

By appending the correction to the original publication.

Must the publisher admit it was wrong?

Not necessarily. It may acknowledge the error, disclaim an imputed meaning, attribute and disclaim another's statement, or publish the requester's own statement of the facts.

Amendment History

Added by Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 950 (H.B. 1759), Sec. 2, eff. June 14, 2013.

Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from Texas Legislature Online (statutes.capitol.texas.gov). Enacted by the Texas Legislature. Current through May 14, 2026. Last verified August 29, 2026. · Official source