The controlling
precedent in the United States was set in 1964 by the
United States Supreme Court in
New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, which is considered a key decision in supporting the
First Amendment and
freedom of the press. A fairly high threshold of public activity is necessary to elevate people to a public figure status. They may be: • A
public official or any other person pervasively involved in public affairs • A ''''
, which according to Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc.'' is a person who has "thrust themselves to the forefront of particular public controversies in order to influence the resolution of the issues involved", or engaged in actions to generate publicity within a narrow area of interest • An '''''', an individual who has become a public figure as a result of publicity, although they may or may not have voluntarily sought it out; this can include victims of crime, as well as those who commit crimes or are accused of committing crimes. Discussion of a person on the Internet may at times rise to the level that it causes the subject of discussion to be treated as an involuntary public figure. Corporations are not automatically treated as public figures, and defamation claims made by corporations are evaluated under the same standard as those made by individuals. == See also ==