3 ms·

News that cares this much about sensationalizing isn't news. While I'm entirely for unfettered protection of free speech, free speech doesn't include the right

News that cares this much about sensationalizing isn't news. While I'm entirely for unfettered protection of free speech, free speech doesn't include the right to lie, at least not in a professional capacity. Perhaps we need to start punishing intentionally deceptive reporting by not allowing these people to call themselves journalists and / or not allowing these sources of information to call themselves news.

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
version_five 4y ago
I think it's a problem that can take care of itself. People need to be incredulous. Why would anyone reading Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, Ars Technica, Vice, Buzfeed, or any of the other publications clearly in the realm of entertainment imagine that they actually do "journalism" in the usual sense.
nradov 4y ago
Free speech generally does include the right to lie. There are only very limited legal circumstances where a lie could be a criminal offense or cause for civil liability. Even if you could somehow ban people from calling themselves "journalists" that would be meaningless under US federal law as journalists enjoy no more rights or privileges than any other common citizen.
- blowski 4y ago
  Indeed, the current Fox vs Dominion case is highlighting that very point.
usednet 4y ago
Ever watched a police interrogation?
arp242 4y ago
How would you distinguish between "intentionally deceptive" and "being wrong"? In principle I don't disagree; but proving "intentionally deceptive" beyond reasonable doubt in court is extraordinarily hard, so in practice I don't really think we can do much about it.
- johnklos 4y ago
  See the current disclosures about what Fox "journalists" were doing.
  - arp242 4y ago
    I don't know what that's referring to.
    - johnklos 4y ago
      If you don't pay attention to American news, you could've missed this, but in a nutshell Fox had to disclose messages in the course of a lawsuit that show they've been intentionally lying to their viewers. This article is opinionated and editorialized, but some of the facts about the messages are there: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/17/business/fox-news-dominion-lies/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/17/business/fox-news-dominion-li...

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

version_five 4y ago

I think it's a problem that can take care of itself. People need to be incredulous. Why would anyone reading Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, Ars Technica, Vice, Buzfeed, or any of the other publications clearly in the realm of entertainment imagine that they actually do "journalism" in the usual sense.

nradov 4y ago

Free speech generally does include the right to lie. There are only very limited legal circumstances where a lie could be a criminal offense or cause for civil liability. Even if you could somehow ban people from calling themselves "journalists" that would be meaningless under US federal law as journalists enjoy no more rights or privileges than any other common citizen.

blowski 4y ago
Indeed, the current Fox vs Dominion case is highlighting that very point.

usednet 4y ago

Ever watched a police interrogation?

arp242 4y ago

How would you distinguish between "intentionally deceptive" and "being wrong"? In principle I don't disagree; but proving "intentionally deceptive" beyond reasonable doubt in court is extraordinarily hard, so in practice I don't really think we can do much about it.

johnklos 4y ago
See the current disclosures about what Fox "journalists" were doing.
- arp242 4y ago
  I don't know what that's referring to.
  - johnklos 4y ago
    If you don't pay attention to American news, you could've missed this, but in a nutshell Fox had to disclose messages in the course of a lawsuit that show they've been intentionally lying to their viewers. This article is opinionated and editorialized, but some of the facts about the messages are there: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/17/business/fox-news-dominion-lies/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/17/business/fox-news-dominion-li...