Final answer:
The federal appeals court in Pippen v. NBC Universal Media ruled that the false report of Pippen filing for bankruptcy was not defamatory per se due to the lack of malice.
Step-by-step explanation:
The federal appeals court in Pippen v. NBC Universal Media stated that one reason the false report that Pippen had filed for bankruptcy was not defamatory per se was the lack of malice. In the context of defamation, malice refers to either knowing that the statement was false or demonstrating a reckless disregard for the truth. In this case, the court found that there was no evidence of malice, which helped establish that the false report was not defamatory per se.