“Oh come on. I could knock on your neighbors’ doors and tell them you’re a child molester. I could go to someones place of employment and say they’re a child molester. Would that be ok with you?”
Much, much different. You are accusing someone of a heinous crime. From what I’m reading on this thread, Jones just said the incident was a hoax and the parents were actors. Very, very different from your scenario.
Not exactly - still very defamatory.