Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Fixing the Dysfunctional Media

 


 

Anyone who has been paying attention knows that the mainstream and social media platforms are out of control. They are heavily biased to the point of being downright dishonest. 

The problem lies in the perception of the First Amendment that guarantees freedom of the press. The media assumes that means they can say whatever they want, and can cover up important news if it helps their narrative. But they are wrong.

 Every Constitutional Right comes with the obligation to not abuse it. For the same reason a person may not yell "fire" in a crowded theater that is not on fire, it is just as wrong to intentionally publish fake news, publish improperly sourced stories or censor news the media wants to cover up - which is "lying by omission".

The media is provided a lot of leeway by virtue of being the press. But that does not give them the right to lie, or to cover up news. On the contrary - because they are blessed with extra protections, they must be held to a higher standard. When they fail to hold themselves to that standard, they abuse their right of free speech, and in so doing they harm the general public at large. And when someone harms another, there are grounds for legal action.

I would suggest it is high time for some enterprising attorney to put forth a class action suit against the media platforms designed to force the media to act responsibly; to not intentionally mislead  the public either by pushing fake news that is not PROPERLY sourced, or by covering up news stories simply because they do not fit a narrative. That attorney can use the same premise as yelling "fire" in a crowded building - that every right comes with the responsibility to not abuse it; to apply it fairly and honestly.

Because anything less causes harm to our entire society. 

 If Congress can place restrictions on the 2nd Amendment, do NOT tell me they cannot so so for the 1st.

 

(Brought to you by IntelliBiz)

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