As a First Amendment maximalist, I am inclined to reply an automatic “no” to my own headline — should journalists go to jail for spreading Russia lies? But a penalty of some kind, indeed a serious one, should certainly be levied for misinforming the public on the most important subject of our day, which has happened repeatedly over the last few years concerning the Russia probe. And when these prevarications can be shown to have been deliberate, to have been done knowingly, difficult as that may be to prove, the line to sedition may have been crossed and there is an argument the reporters involved should face legal consequences. They should also be fired.
Unfortunately, because reporting is an occupation with no official standards like law or medicine, no professional organizations to disbar them, and because, as A. J. Liebling wrote long ago, “Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one,” with media operations like CNN and NBC often encouraging those very lies, this is unlikely to happen.
Nevertheless. as Kimberly Strassel indicated in “For Fear of William Barr: The attorney general gets attacked because his probe endangers many powerful people,” heads of those who instigated the Russia probe are likely soon to roll. Shouldn’t members of the press who gave them voice be more than unindicted co-conspirators?
Who was indeed culpable when David Corn of Mother Jones and Michael Isikoff of Yahoo.com,not to mention the jejune character from BuzzFeed, were given access to and then promulgated the Steele dossier — a document that, from what we now know, might as well have had “DISINFORMATION” stamped in red on the front page with “Made in the Kremlin” printed not-so-discretely at the bottom. They are intelligent men. Didn’t they realize this?
Of course, they did. Or at least they suspected it. But the ends (the defeat of the orange man) justified the means (helping release this disinfo to the public and spread the lies). Did they do this deliberately? Are they guilty of sedition? Decide for yourselves. (Isikoff later recanted and called the dossier dubious, undoubtedly to avoid having his reputation further besmirched. After the Mueller report was published, he had no choice.)
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20 comments:
Yes!!! Absolutely!
No. If people are that stupid to believe everything they hear without research. They deserve to be douped. The TRUTH always comes out in the end. ALWAYS. My concerns are with our judicial system. So freaking corrupt where criminals walk and innocent go to jail. It's like Russia.
LICENSE journalists. If they knowingly spread FAKE news, revoke their licenses. Besides, it's another revenue stream for Government.
War on the media is one of the first signs of a dictatorship. Sowing the seeds of distrust in any information that isn't directly disseminated by you is a proven strategy. Careful where we go with this one...
If we could sue the media InfoWars would be so far under...oh wait he has already been sued for his lies.
Journalists , editors and publishers should all go to jail for all of their lies.
There are 2 types of news casters 1- There's "Opinion" shows, and 2- There's JOURNALISTS. When watching an "Opinion" show, the audience goes into it aware that the show consists of the Host, and their guests debating or agreeing on various OPINIONS of whatever the topic of the day is. On an actual Newscast the audience is "supposed" to be able to take the NEWS as fact, because thats why people watch news. Reporters, and news casters have for YEARS been allowed, and have privileges not allowed to the general public and access to to our politicians, presidents, and other very secure environments to allow them to get FACTS and insights to serious issues so THEY can get FACTS and then relay these facts to the PUBLIC, whom is relying on the facts, insights etc of JOURNALISTS so they (the public) can make important decisions regarding finance, national security, job decisions, and manh other local and national issues. IF the journalists instead decide to warp, or pug their personal political feelings into the NEWS, them they are LYING to the public, and have disregarded their responsibility to the viewers, whom are looking to them for facts, and truths, NOT feelings, and emotions. I think the second a journalist "chooses" push their personal opinions as if they are facts, then that person should be held accountable. That's no different than if a cop decides what the law is...instead of enforcing the laws on the books. If I or anyone else is held accountable for our actions, why isn't the media?
Go to jail? No.
Be held to unlimited liability? Yes.
Make them pay!
If politicians don't have to go for lying, no need to send the press there.
10:57 and should the President be held accountable for his twitter lies as well? Honest question.
YES absolutely, since that is a form of treason and the ANARCHIST ways to over throw the US Constitution.
That is not freedom of speech covered by the 1st amendment.
Rephrase it. Lying journalists.
My father taught me, don't believe anything you read or hear and only half of what you see
lose their jobs - take away electronic privileges.
Not jail. Confinement and lots of crappy fast food.
As well as elected officials
When the MSM says one thing over and over again that quickly is found to be a lie, then keeps telling it, there should be repercussions. The Covington Kids story comes easily to mind.
CNN (and other) reporters pretending to be on-site using blue screens and sound effects should be criminal.
Reporting remotely on a hurricane while pretending there's wind is dishonest, too, right Mr. Seidel?
SHIFF should go to jail still waiting for him to release his proof of President Trump's Russian Collusion.
Shift should have to the citizens back our 40 million dollars he posses away and then be hung by the neck until dead.
Twitter is NOT a news outlet. Twitter is a social platform...BIG difference. Now on to the facts. Exactly what "lies" are you referring to? I've heard many exaggerations, not lies, but again, Twitter is not news. If by chance someone is actually looking to Twitter for accurate news, let them know I have a bridge I want to sell them!
law suits against them work better
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