What arguments should the defendants make in an effort to avoid defamation liability

Jones was the attorney for the Town of Smithville. He filed a defamation lawsuit against a newspaper that served the Smithville area and against the writer of that newspaper’s Town Crier column. Jones based his case on statements that appeared in the column. The writer of the column referred to Jones as a “political hatchet man” and as “one of the biggest powers behind the throne in local government.” The writer also asserted that “Jones pulls the strings” and raised the question whether Jones was “leading Smithville to destruction.” What arguments should the defendants make in an effort to avoid defamation liability? Should Jones win his case? Your initial response should be a minimum of 400 words.