Since Mr. Lawson announced his candidacy for public office he became a public figure and therefore the statements made about him in this context are guided by the more liberal standard accorded to political speech and he cannot recover 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. The Constitution, which protects "vehement, caustic and sometimes unpleasantly sharp attacks" in a political context, does not insist on complete verbal precision. Even if a statement about a public figure is incorrect so long as the speaker or writer believes that it is true it is protected speech. The only remedy public figures have in such instances is to develop a thicker skin and to set the record straight.