And it leads me to wonder at what point can the lies of the New York Times become an actionable slander, even given that the target of the slander is a "public figure".
I beleive slander against a public figure is actionable if the slander is willful and malicious.
It looks to me like this qualifies.
I 100% agree. If the National Enquirer can be forced to pay up for its lies, then so should the New York Times.
If it is printed it then becomes libel and not slander