[drdeca]

I agree that using as an example the person you are talking to is permissible, but I also agree that it is a bit preferable to instead either use a generic placeholder, or instead of saying “If I said [X] about [someone], that would(n’t) be libel”, instead saying “If [someone] said [X] about me, that would(n’t) be libel.” I don’t think this is obligatory though. I think that no one should feel pressured to make this change in how they phrase things, but I do think it is an improvement in phrasing.