Ag-gag" legislation (free speech, lobby, crime, abuse)

[Versatile]

Opinion: Exposing animal cruelty is not a crime - CNN.com



I sure don't care for the HSUS or Peta. I am also against animal cruelty. To criminalize a person for filming animal cruelty is not in my book either. Something needs to be done but i am unsure of a cure.

Your opinion please.


The truth is that it doesn't matter if you are a meat eater or one of "the vegetarian people," ag-gag laws affect all of us. These laws are an attempt to keep consumers in the dark about what they are buying, and they do that by turning whistle-blowers and journalists into criminals.


Sixteen professional journalism organizations have written an amicus brief to the court about concerns. The Society of Professional Journalists, NPR, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and others noted that ag-gag "poses a substantial risk of criminalizing lawful -- and constitutionally protected -- news gathering activity."



Ag-gag laws put journalists in the cross hairs in three ways: They criminalize news gathering, Ag-gag laws create harsher penalties for critics, Ag-gag turns sources into criminals.

[remoddahouse]

It looks like the agricultural lobby has been busy trying to stop people from exposing cruel practices in its industry. Animal rights groups have been using hidden cameras to expose cruel practices. Apparently it's better to lobby for laws that don't expose practices such as burying animals alive rather than having the people in your industry actually put animals down humanely.

Great job agriculture industry. Better to stifle free speech than to pull your heads out of your collective rectums and do your job properly.

Undercover animal abuse videos could soon be outlawed – Eatocracy - CNN.com Blogs

[uggabugga]

it's difficult to see how this could be constitutional.