>Hatfill was about as much of a public figure as you are. Of course, once they wrote about him, he became a public figure. So if this stands, we're all screwed.
Actually, no.
The issue of being a Public Figure is very much driven, not so much by the actions of others, force majeure, etc, but by the actions of the supposed Public Figure.
His earlier work, before the anthrax incident, clearly puts him into this category.