Thursday, February 4, 2010

Should it be a felony for the media to knowingly report false news?

We rely on news sources in a democracy. But the Supreme Court, in a Florida case involving Fox News, decided that it is NOT a crime to report false news.


Should it be? If it can be proved?Should it be a felony for the media to knowingly report false news?
I was under the impression it was against the law. But, if it is not then ,it shold be. I feel when a company takes on the responsibility of reporting news,they also carry the burden of reporting actual facts.They are the professionals... Just like a Dr. has certain codes of ethics, and attorneys have the same,paramedics,firemen, law enforcement, all have a civic responsibilty to the public.And Honesty is what it's all about. What kind of country do we have if the public no longer has the right to hear the truth and to expect it.Should it be a felony for the media to knowingly report false news?
We don't have a democracy in the United States. To suggest that we should criminalize so-called false reporting harkens to darker times in repressive countries.

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Well, we have this great thing here in America called the First Amendment. And it protects every single one of us.





People in favor of trampling on the news media's First Amendment rights should be the first to surrender themselves to the authorities when they themselves report lies.





That's the short and curt answer.





The long answer, in as few words as possible, is that the truth is often subject to interpretation. Were you fired from your job or did you resign? Or maybe you weren't actually an employee of whatever entity decided not to use your services anymore. It would be a reasonable assumption for the news media to report that you were fired. It might not be fair or accurate for the news media to report that's what happened to you. But the news media's report would be one interpretation.





Have faith in the public to figure out what happened.





Our justice system is already bogged down as it is. We don't need to grind it to a halt for superfluous proceedings when there are greater dangers to society lurking out there.
Do you think all the tabloids are true. Aliens, eight-headed dragon and all the other mindless junk that gets published daily. Good thought process-you should re -evaluate your thought process.
I did not know anyone in Florida still watched Fox. For sure it is the ';national enquirer' of tv. I like the idea of felony charges for reporting false news, and mandatory very large fines. Add in felony charges for being biased and/or boring please. Right off, the 6 o'clock news would be all done by 6:03, and the newspaper would only be two pages. Talk about conservation of paper and other environmentally friendly improvements!
yeah if it can be proved it should be acted against. a FELONY count, however i am unsure of. i'm a little confused by this question. you say it's not a crime to report false news. but you say should it be if it can be proved. well if it's not a crime to begin with then why would you try and prove it?
I am very very surprised ! You are asking good questions, thanks.

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