As a non-lawyer I had to do a bit of googling to get to the phrase I was trying to recall, but here it is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actual_malice https://e

As a non-lawyer I had to do a bit of googling to get to the phrase I was trying to recall, but here it is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actual_malice https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actual_malice. Actual malice: > The constitutional guarantees require, we think, a Federal rule that prohibits a public official from recovering damages for a defamatory falsehood relating to his official conduct unless he proves that the statement was made with 'actual malice'—that is, with knowledge that it was false or with reckless disregard of whether it was false or not. Sets the bar pretty high for him.