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> In order to make up your mind correctly you need to be feed accurate information. Haha. And we're going to let the government decide what is "correct" and "a

> In order to make up your mind correctly you need to be feed accurate information. Haha. And we're going to let the government decide what is "correct" and "accurate"? Letting whoever is currently in power control what information the electorate has access to is one of the single biggest threats to democracy. > Al Jazeera making up causality figures in real-time isn’t how you make up your mind. The correct response is pointing out that their numbers are made up. In a working democracy you get people to see truth through public discourse, not censorship. Don't make a deal with the devil just to shut up the neighbor's annoying dog.

chii 2y ago
> In a working democracy you get people to see truth through public discourse, not censorship. in an idealistic world, this is true. Unfortunately, it is also empirically true that, at least in the USA, the majority of the voting population has become a bit dumb, and does not personally try to verify these things they see or hear on the news. Civic duty in democracy includes this sort of scrutiny, but sadly this level of critical thinking has been in decline in recent decades.
bamboozled 2y ago
Haha. And we're going to let the government decide what is "correct" and "accurate"? Ok, so how did all this unchecked exposure to propaganda workout for Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, Palestine etc? Did it lead to some kind of "free thinking" utopia? Free speech hasn't been banned in Israel. Access to information hasn't been banned. What has been banned is a platform for foreign agents to easily negative influence their populace and to broadcast nonsense en masse to their people. If any Al Jazeera staff who have a residency permit want to walk the streets and discuss things their passionate about to other people, it will be allowed. But it won't be allowed if it turns out their being paid to do so by a foreign government. It's no different. Sorry to say this, but you have yet offered a sane alternative here. We can't just have autocrats from foreign countries broadcasting nonsense, unabated to whoever wants to listen, else our society will look no different to those dystopias. Domestic free speech within a democracy is one thing, foreign interference is another.
- chmod775 2y ago
  > Ok, so how did all this unchecked exposure to propaganda workout for Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, Palestine etc? Did it lead to some kind of "free thinking" utopia? You did not think this argument through. None of the aforementioned countries have free press. They censor heavily. In all of the above countries the government dictates what is "correct" and "accurate" information. News outlets saying anything else are shut down, banned, and journalists are sometimes jailed. All of these non-democracies are afraid of free press. Is that the company Israel wants to keep in this matter? > Access to information hasn't been banned [in Israel]. Al Jazeera is literally banned and blocked. > We can't just have autocrats from foreign countries broadcasting nonsense, unabated to whoever wants to listen, else our society will look no different to those dystopias. This defeatist argument leads to the conclusion that democracy cannot work. Democracy cannot work without free press, and according to you it cannot work if press is free from government interference. Is that what we want to do? Give up?
  - corinroyal 2y ago
    You're confusing "free press" with "enemy disinformation campaign".
    - chmod775 2y ago
      Nonsensical comment (even these "disinformation campaigns" are press), but I'll try to find meaning where there is little to be found and humor you. You cannot let the legislative decide what constitutes an "enemy disinformation campaign" and what is "free press". It's an obvious weak spot in your democracy bad actors can exploit - far more dangerous than foreign propaganda that has to measure up against friendly outlets.
      - bamboozled 2y ago
        Anyway, I'm just glad you're not in charge of anything of consequence. Good day to you.

chii 2y ago

> In a working democracy you get people to see truth through public discourse, not censorship. in an idealistic world, this is true. Unfortunately, it is also empirically true that, at least in the USA, the majority of the voting population has become a bit dumb, and does not personally try to verify these things they see or hear on the news. Civic duty in democracy includes this sort of scrutiny, but sadly this level of critical thinking has been in decline in recent decades.

bamboozled 2y ago

Haha. And we're going to let the government decide what is "correct" and "accurate"? Ok, so how did all this unchecked exposure to propaganda workout for Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, Palestine etc? Did it lead to some kind of "free thinking" utopia? Free speech hasn't been banned in Israel. Access to information hasn't been banned. What has been banned is a platform for foreign agents to easily negative influence their populace and to broadcast nonsense en masse to their people. If any Al Jazeera staff who have a residency permit want to walk the streets and discuss things their passionate about to other people, it will be allowed. But it won't be allowed if it turns out their being paid to do so by a foreign government. It's no different. Sorry to say this, but you have yet offered a sane alternative here. We can't just have autocrats from foreign countries broadcasting nonsense, unabated to whoever wants to listen, else our society will look no different to those dystopias. Domestic free speech within a democracy is one thing, foreign interference is another.

chmod775 2y ago
> Ok, so how did all this unchecked exposure to propaganda workout for Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, Palestine etc? Did it lead to some kind of "free thinking" utopia? You did not think this argument through. None of the aforementioned countries have free press. They censor heavily. In all of the above countries the government dictates what is "correct" and "accurate" information. News outlets saying anything else are shut down, banned, and journalists are sometimes jailed. All of these non-democracies are afraid of free press. Is that the company Israel wants to keep in this matter? > Access to information hasn't been banned [in Israel]. Al Jazeera is literally banned and blocked. > We can't just have autocrats from foreign countries broadcasting nonsense, unabated to whoever wants to listen, else our society will look no different to those dystopias. This defeatist argument leads to the conclusion that democracy cannot work. Democracy cannot work without free press, and according to you it cannot work if press is free from government interference. Is that what we want to do? Give up?
- corinroyal 2y ago
  You're confusing "free press" with "enemy disinformation campaign".
  - chmod775 2y ago
    Nonsensical comment (even these "disinformation campaigns" are press), but I'll try to find meaning where there is little to be found and humor you. You cannot let the legislative decide what constitutes an "enemy disinformation campaign" and what is "free press". It's an obvious weak spot in your democracy bad actors can exploit - far more dangerous than foreign propaganda that has to measure up against friendly outlets.
    - bamboozled 2y ago
      Anyway, I'm just glad you're not in charge of anything of consequence. Good day to you.