Showing posts with label freedom of the press. Show all posts
Showing posts with label freedom of the press. Show all posts

Sunday, August 05, 2018

Freedom of the Press


Our Constitution guarantees freedom of the press. This means that our media is free to report the news with whatever slant they wish. They are free  to emphasize certain facts and events and omit others. They are even free to lie and act like churlish children. Our courts have even ruled that our media can disclose government secrets if it is "in the national interest."

However, the media's freedom, like any freedom, is not absolute. This freedom does not stand ahead of freedom of speech or freedom of assembly ...  also in the First Amendment to the Constitution. If the media tries to suppress other constitutionally guaranteed freedoms, then they have stepped over the line and need to be reminded of their transgressions. I suppose that they can't be rightfully stopped ... but they can be reminded by others with communication outlets to the people (Trump) of their failings. It will then he up to the people to decide. If the people give a media outlet the thumbs down, then that  outlet can either self-correct or go out of business. This is the ultimate democracy ... people using their free market decisions if any media outlet has moved onto the dark side.

It would only be an unconstitutional infringement if our government tried to influence this process with funds or favors. If our government were to fund its own radio (NPR) or television (PBS) stations, then this would certainly be unconstitutional. No?

Friday, August 05, 2011

Cash and Kerry

"Reporting for duty ..."

John Forbes Kerry (who served in Viet Nam) said in an MSNBC interview this morning:
"The media has got to begin to not give equal time or equal balance to an absolutely absurd notion just because somebody [the Tea Party] asserts it or simply because somebody [the Tea Party] says something which everybody knows is not factual, it [the Tea Party] doesn't deserve the same credit as a legitimate idea about what you do." (see: MSNBC Interview).
Is this the man who was a few hundred thousand votes short in Ohio from being our President?  Does our Constitution mean nothing to this Mass ass?  This comes on the heels of the disclosure that Wade Sanders, a lead man in his 2004 Presidential campaign (who vouched for Kerry's "heroic" role on the Swift Boats in Viet Nam) is in jail on a child pornograpy conviction and has also lost the Silver Star for his own Viet Nam service (for undisclosed reasons not related to his current felony).  See: Wade Sanders Disgraced.

Thank you Ohio!

Afterward: Listening to talk radio here in Boston this afternoon, I am reminded that John Kerry's running mate in 2004 was John Edwards.  Ugh!  Thank you again Ohio!!