What if one of the major news networks had a reputation for consistently pressuring reporters, editors, and producers to present information that was blatantly biased, distorted, or plain lie? What if they had a reputation for going so far as-to fire reporters and others who refused on ethical grounds to write or produce stories that were fabrications and lies?
I know we all talk about how untrustworthy certain “news” sources are, and we know that there’s one in particular who has the sort of reputation I’ve described. We also know that there are lots of folks who watch this particular news source, and who’s response to such accusations always seems to be something to the effect that everyone does it, and their source just gets picked on more than others.
But surely if one of these allegedly fired employees took this news outlet to court, (let’s call them faux news here just because we’re talking about making stuff up), said news outlet would work hard in court to vindicate themselves – to prove that they don’t really force their employees to lie and fabricate stories just to support their political agenda. Right? Surely they would, because if they didn’t, they’d be exposed as nothing but a lying propaganda hack, right?
Wait for it…
What if instead, this faux news network went to court and argued that sure, they lied and made stuff up, and that it was their right to do so under the first amendment. Furthermore, they had the right to fire people who refused to lie with them and for them, as this also somehow was covered by their first amendment rights. No refutation of the allegation that their news was fabricated to support a particular political agenda, no fight for credibility in the eye of the public, but brazen boasting that sure they make stuff up and lie to their audience, and they have the right to do so.
No really. This really happened. I’ll not name anybody here – if you think I’m making it up there are lots of ways to check it out and form your own opinion about what happened. They were sued and lost, and upon appeal to a federal court, the verdict and award were overturned. They then went on the air and boasted that they’d been vindicated. I’m sure their audience thought that meant that it had been decided that they didn’t lie after all, rather than the truth, with is that they argued that of course they make stuff up and lie to their audience. And they won. They now have court precedent allowing them to continue to blatantly lie and distort and make up whatever they want to, and present it to the public as-if it were truth.
I know this all sounds really surreal. But it’s really true. And the saddest part to me are the following 2 bullets:
- That the courts in this country once again treat a corporation like a person. There is no Bill of Rights for corporations – THEY ARE NOT PEOPLE. The First Amendment protects the speech of The People, not of a corporation.
- Most sad is that the folks who watch the collection of trash that they call news on this particular network are not swayed in the least by this sort of revelation – doesn’t bother them a bit that they’re being fed fiction and lies and distortion in the guise of “news”.
I don’t care what side of any political spectrum you’re on. Personally, I’m very conservative, but not at all right-wing. We should all be responsible enough to demand a level of truth and credibility from our news sources, and when one of them does what this one did, anyone with an ounce of concern for honor, integrity, credibility and truth should never, ever, allow that outlet to run on any media source they watch.
Care to guess which one it was? 🙂
