[Bumped to discuss resulting legal actions] Elementary school shooting in Connecticut. (Edit/Update - 26 reported killed, many of them children)

I also thought the reasoning was something like the very nature of the crime and coverage made the parents public figures and the rules are different for public figures than private citizens

That seems vaguely familiar to me

Here’s a pretty good piece on how that issue applies here - the concept is “limited public figure” and it’s now always clear.

https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendmen...important-defamation-issues-remain-unresolved