Should there be penalties when news organizations lie
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When a news org makes deliberate lies, should there be any penalty?
And if so, how would it be done?
How could it be proven that it was deliberate?
Say for example, Mr X on station 23 repeatedly claims that the Na'vi political party is responsible for the disappearance of the sun every night. If this can be proven to be false, should Mr X be fired?
Should the station be fined? Liquidated?
Or should blatant lies be allowed to be called news, and so what if they mislead the public?
We have a Freedom of Speech in this country.
Unfortunatly, Responsibility is merely a cultural thing not everyone adheres to.
News agiencies from day one have always sensationalized their articles to some extent. Otherwise they don't sell paper, or gather ratings either.
A federal court already ruled that any news organization can flat out lie, if they feel like it.
Personally, I think there should be a law passed against that. However, how do you determine it is a lie? It would be very hard to legislate that.
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Before you go on, read the First Amendment.
Having said that, if the media knowingly broadcast a lie, which had the intentional or negligent result of fomenting an actual riot with massive loss of life, then there could be accusations comparable to shouting "Fire" in a crowded theater. But the freedom of speech and the press is applicable up to the point at which it becomes a clear and present threat to civil order, or a matter of criminal libel or slander.
Even then, the onus is on the state to prove that A) it was a lie, and B) the media knew it was a lie.
not all news organizations seem to follow that example. some seem to thrive on misinformation and outright lies.
And, for whatever reason, their viewers cant get enough...
In that case, you and I have the option of not watching, reading, or listening to these "news" organizations, along with the option of getting news from a variety of outlets so we have a balanced perspective. Far better than having the government impose penalties for what they determine is not the "truth." If others choose to continue getting so-called news from sources that have proven themselves to be disreputable, that's their business. You and I can only do what we can do to give ourselves the best chance of getting it straight, and suggest to others that they would benefit from doing the same.
In that case, you and I have the option of not watching, reading, or listening to these "news" organizations, along with the option of getting news from a variety of outlets so we have a balanced perspective. Far better than having the government impose penalties for what they determine is not the "truth." If others choose to continue getting so-called news from sources that have proven themselves to be disreputable, that's their business. You and I can only do what we can do to give ourselves the best chance of getting it straight, and suggest to others that they would benefit from doing the same.
Quite agreed.
A mentality has crept into this Nation and our government over the decades, one I find quite reprehensible. It states that We the PEopel are incapable of policing our own actions, opinions, speech, and in some cases, even thoughts.
A young man going off to war cannot, legally, enjoy a beer with his father in a pub.
The religious right (which is neither) clamors for g'ment to remove television programs from the air and books from public and/or school library shelves they feel undermines their religion, and they win far too often.
And let us not forget the War on Smokers.
What we DON'T need, IMHO certainly, is yet more legislation telling us how to live, in this case limiting/controlling the information we recieve from news, and self-identifying "news", outlets.
Let those that believe the Onion is a legitimate news source believe it. Let those that think Fox News, WND and Newsmax are legitimate news have their fantasy.
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