No state official may publish willfully any false statement in regard to any state department, institution, or industry which tends to deceive the public and create a distrust of any state official or employee in charge of such department, institution, or industry, or which tends to obstruct, hinder, and delay the various departments, institutions, and industries of the state. Any person violating the provisions of this section is guilty of a class C felony.
N.D.C.C. § 54-06-12