It's not that black-and-white. You could definitely win such a case in the USA, if you could show as the plaintiff that you have never been accused of such a c

It's not that black-and-white. You could definitely win such a case in the USA, if you could show as the plaintiff that you have never been accused of such a crime, and that the publication of such information caused you harm. In the US, we grant much more latitude for commentary on public figures, and on comment on professional duties. If you were sued over writing an expose on the professional behavior of an editor of a journal, based on interviews with peers, it would be nearly impossible to get a court to even hear that case.