In Curtis Publishing Co. v. Butts, 388 U.S. 130 (1967), the Court extended this constitutional privilege to defamatory statements concerning "public figures" who are not government officials. Id. at 163 (Warren, C.J., concurring in the result, joined by four Justices). The Court reasoned that, in the modern world, "power has . . . become much more organized in what we have commonly considered the private sector. In many situations, policy determinations which traditionally were channeled through formal political institutions are now originated and implemented through a complex array of boards, committees, commissions, corporations, and associations, some only loosely connected with the Government. This blending of positions and power has also occurred in the case of individuals so that many who do not hold public office at the moment are nevertheless intimately involved in the resolution of important public questions or, by reason of their fame, shape events in areas of concern to society at large." Id. at 163-64 (controlling opinion of Warren, C.J.)