Friday, January 26, 2018

Media Matterss


The majority of the American media has long believed that it was the doctor and our political system was the patient. Its diagnosis was infallible. Its treatment plan was not to be questioned ... even if the patient died. This is a very powerful position to be in ... a position likely was not imagined by our Constitution's framers ... since they could not have foreseen the multi-faceted monster that the simple broadsheets of their era would become.

No, dear reader I am not attacking the First Amendment ... it is the most fundamental freedom ...  that is why it is first. However, both the ensuing media technological advancements and court decisions have given our media an extremely powerful voice in defining what is fact ... even if it isn't.  So today, there is ... or should I say, has been ... no balancing force to keep much of the media real. In particular, a series of court interpretations of libel standards makes it almost impossible to seek redress for even outrageous news stories designed to damage the reputation of someone or something. Clearly malicious news is brewed today for political ends and has had no counterbalance until Donald Trump invented "fake news." I believe this term caught on because the public has sensed the unchecked power of the media and welcomed some push back.

No, Trump and others now using this term are not attacking the First Amendment. They are preserving it unless or until our courts strengthen our libel laws. A media ... either liberal or conservative ... that becomes the sole arbiters of truth can lose their way. I believe that we have better reporting today because of Trump despite all the media's squealing. They are squealing not because they have lost their freedom to report ... but because they now have to work a little harder to get it right.

6 comments:

DEN said...

What a steaming pile of wishful thinking! 70% of Americans think mainstream media offers the closest thing to real news. The fact that there are 30 % who believe that Fox gets it right just shows that you can fool some of the people all of the time.

DEN said...

BTW, speaking of Fake news from the Faker-in-chief, Maybe you'd like respond to this headline: "President Trump made 2,140 false or misleading claims in his first year" Washington Post - a credible source

George W. Potts said...

May I assume your 70% figure has been validated by Snopes?

George W. Potts said...

I keep hearing that Trump is a congential liar ... but when I look for proof, all I get is that he is full of bluster. Big difference ...

DEN said...

You should look up 'bias blind spot.'

George W. Potts said...

Me: Point of View. You (and Nancy Pelosi): Bias