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.
