[Bruce Campbells Chin]

That used to be true. The difference is that the statements being attacked as defamatory are far more outrageous than the kind of thing over which public figures previously would sue. The result is a lot more successful lawsuits by public figures than we used to see a couple of decades ago.

[cgbg]

“The president’s allies fired back. They claimed their opponent was an atheist bent on seizing Bibles from the homes of American Christians, and they whispered tales of animal sacrifices and sexual transgressions by the president’s adversary.”

Name “the President” in the quotation.

.....

Ref: https://teachingamericanhistory.org/blog/sedition-act-of-1798/