What I don’t get is how that loophole doesn’t nullify the entire concept of defamation. Someone says “Mr. Zest was the man who stabbed my father to death last Tuesday”, I show them proof I was out of town, and they continue to tell the story because they incorrectly and unreasonably concluded that my proof was false. Surely that doesn’t mean they’ll win my defamation lawsuit - if it did how could a defendant ever lose?