I believe the current line there, at least in the US, is whether they knowingly ran factually inaccurate information.
Given their doubling down, unless we assume they somehow didn't ask their legal department, I would bet they have enough sources for the information that they think they're not at risk of being prosecuted for libel or slander.
The bar for libel and slander is very high. I also think it’s civil and not criminal, so there would be no prosecution in any case, they would just get sued.
Given their doubling down, unless we assume they somehow didn't ask their legal department, I would bet they have enough sources for the information that they think they're not at risk of being prosecuted for libel or slander.