4 ms·

Where is there a need for whistleblowers in cable news? Everyone is well aware that the 24 hour cable news cycle was a terrible development for journalistic int

Where is there a need for whistleblowers in cable news? Everyone is well aware that the 24 hour cable news cycle was a terrible development for journalistic integrity and that these stations exist to drive ratings by polarizing viewers and getting them addicted to outrage. No one really likes it, but what is a legal solution? Freedom of the press is pretty well enshrined in US constitutional law, so it's not like you can sanction or ban or censor them. It's a very different story for Facebook. Since their content is user-submitted and they aren't the government, they're actually able to legally censor content if they want to. Additionally, their users are largely not the press and not even Americans, so they don't have the same constitutional rights anyway. So there may or may not be some sort of moral equivalence here, but there are very obvious reasons they don't get the same treatment legally and from Congress. Finally, Facebook lied in Congressional hearings. As far as I know, neither Fox nor CNN has done that. This is the Al Capone tax evasion they always get people on. It's why Michael Flynn went to prison and why Bill Clinton got impeached. You can get away with all manner of outrageous and immoral but not necessarily illegal behavior if you just tell the truth about it under oath.

furgooswft13 5y ago
> Additionally, their users are largely not the press and not even Americans, so they don't have the same constitutional rights anyway. The press has no special rights or privileges, as much as they'd like the plebs to think otherwise. > but there are very obvious reasons they don't get the same treatment legally and from Congress. Extremely obvious indeed. Why would the Democrats attack their own propaganda arm? > Finally, Facebook lied in Congressional hearings. As far as I know, neither Fox nor CNN has done that. Instead they just give permanent talking head platforms to the people who did lie during congressional hearings (Brennan, Fauci etc.)
yodsanklai 5y ago
> Facebook lied in Congressional hearings who exactly lied? and why aren't they charged if it's the case?
- nonameiguess 5y ago
  I should have worded that differently. I have no idea if Facebook actually lied. The point is that's what the whistleblower is alleging. That's the only thing being alleged that is actually illegal. so a whistleblower against a cable news station would need to also be alleging that to have anything to whistleblow about. Just claiming that they spread misinformation and sow internal national discord may be bad, but it's not illegal. Note a separate possible key difference, though. It's not illegal for US citizens to sow internal discord, and it's technically not "illegal" for foreign intelligence services and troll farms to do it, either, since they aren't subject to US law, but when foreign actors try to sow internal discord in the US, the US government has the legal right to step in and attempt to stop them. They don't have that right when US citizens or US press operations are doing it.

furgooswft13 5y ago

> Additionally, their users are largely not the press and not even Americans, so they don't have the same constitutional rights anyway. The press has no special rights or privileges, as much as they'd like the plebs to think otherwise. > but there are very obvious reasons they don't get the same treatment legally and from Congress. Extremely obvious indeed. Why would the Democrats attack their own propaganda arm? > Finally, Facebook lied in Congressional hearings. As far as I know, neither Fox nor CNN has done that. Instead they just give permanent talking head platforms to the people who did lie during congressional hearings (Brennan, Fauci etc.)

yodsanklai 5y ago

> Facebook lied in Congressional hearings who exactly lied? and why aren't they charged if it's the case?

nonameiguess 5y ago
I should have worded that differently. I have no idea if Facebook actually lied. The point is that's what the whistleblower is alleging. That's the only thing being alleged that is actually illegal. so a whistleblower against a cable news station would need to also be alleging that to have anything to whistleblow about. Just claiming that they spread misinformation and sow internal national discord may be bad, but it's not illegal. Note a separate possible key difference, though. It's not illegal for US citizens to sow internal discord, and it's technically not "illegal" for foreign intelligence services and troll farms to do it, either, since they aren't subject to US law, but when foreign actors try to sow internal discord in the US, the US government has the legal right to step in and attempt to stop them. They don't have that right when US citizens or US press operations are doing it.