> I do not believe the rights they are afforded in the US Constitution were intended to be used in this manner at all. You might want to look at some of the la

> I do not believe the rights they are afforded in the US Constitution were intended to be used in this manner at all. You might want to look at some of the late 18th century pamphlets and newspapers that were the "press" of which the American founders aimed to protect the freedom -- the American revolutionaries' cause spread partly through pamphlets, so they were very sympathetic to the medium. These publications were not only extremely partisan, but they often abounded in personal insults and rage far beyond anything one would see in a modern newspaper. No, the Founders were very comfortable with sensationalism and extreme polemic.