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' Case 18-2868, Document 287, 08/09/2019, 2628251, Page62 of 76 material fact as to whether defamatory photo and caption were true). Under New York law, “truth is an absolute, unqualified defense to a civil defamation action” and “‘substantial truth’ suffices to defeat a charge of libel.” Jewell v. NYP Holdings, Inc., 23 F. Supp. 2d 348, 366 (S.D.N.Y. 1998) (internal quotation marks and citations omitted). A statement is substantially true if the statement would not “have a different effect on the mind of the reader from that which the pleaded truth would have produced.” Id. (quoting Fleckenstein v. Friedman, 193 N.E. 537, 538 (N.Y. 1934)). Thus, “it is not necessary to demonstrate complete accuracy to defeat a charge of libel. It is only necessary that the gist or substance of the challenged statements be true.” Printers II, Inc. v. Professionals Publishing, Inc., 784 F.2d 141, 146 (2d Cir. 1986); see also Korkala v. W.W. Norton & Co., 618 F.Supp. 152, 155 (S.D.N.Y. 1985) (“Slight inaccuracies of expression are immaterial provided that the defamatory charge is true in substance.”) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted) ; Sharon v. Time, Inc., 609 F.Supp. 1291, 1294 (S.D.N.Y. 1984) (“Defendant is permitted to prove the substantial truth of this statement by establishing any other proposition that has the 62