Jedi Council Forums - Freedom for the Press to lie?

Locked Topic | Read Only Topic | Previous Active Topic | Next Active Topic

Author	Topic: Freedom for the Press to lie?
Darth-Seldon Registered: May '03	Date Posted: 6/4/04 12:03pm Subject: Freedom for the Press to lie?
	I thought I would open up a debate about how far Freedom of the Press should go. As some of us may know, some newspapers and news stations lie over and over again. For example my city news paper slanders everyone. They misquote the city councilors, they slander teachers, they do everything in their power to get a senasationalist story whether true or not. For example a kid at my school who is a patholotical liar went tot the papers about how a teacher would make fun of him in homeroom. I was in the homeroom and the teacher never even spoke to him, nevermind attack him verbally. This kids story was all over the news on TV and in the papers. The School Administration stated that it never happened, the students in the class said it never happened, the teacher said it never happened and the School board said it never happened. Instead of printing all of these people denying it happened the papers only printed the kids story which I found to be terrible. This is not the only case or the only story. The papers are often a tool used for lies and slander. I personally would like to see these liars brought to justice. They slander good people all the time. I think it is disgusting how freedom of the press can allow rich men to own newspapers which only spread lies. What do you all think? Should there be limits on what they can print? How can we handle lies in the papers and on the news? -Seldon -----signature----- Isaac Asimov was an innovative genius All posters are equal but some posters are more equal than others. JOE BIDEN 2012
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Guinastasia Registered: Jun '02	Date Posted: 6/4/04 12:24pm Subject: RE: Freedom for the Press to lie?
	Well, for one thing, they might not KNOWINGLY print something false. For another, in this case, it's the kid's word against the school's. And how do you KNOW that the kid is a pathological liar? Just saying. And some media outlets are notorious for hype and gossip. (Think Faux News, or tabloids). -----signature----- Founder of the Face Loran & Ton Phanan Appreciation Society Dark Lady of the JCC, currently retired Member of the Obi-Wan Kenobi Fan Club High Dominatrix of Flyboys, WJFC EUDF Captain, Retired Ravenclaw 0wns your sorry ass
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Mr44 Title: Manager Emeritus Registered: May '02	Date Posted: 6/4/04 12:31pm Subject: RE: Freedom for the Press to lie?
	But such communication is not absolutely protected. People are governed by libel (written) and slander (oral) standards. Using your example, if that student was shown to have intentionally lied about the teacher's actions, to say, get back at her for giving him detention, that teacher could have a slander case. However, like with anything, those protections are not absolute either. Since 1964 (which the actual case escapes me now), such action has to fall within "constitutional malice." That is, if the newspaper in your example, believed the kid's story, they would be protected from inadvertently repeating something that was false. There is some sort of balance, in theory, at least.. It falls between ferreting out the truth, and making a story up outright. -----signature----- When you enter a room full of armed men, shoot the first person who makes a move- hostile or otherwise He has started to think and is therefore dangerous... -- Colonel "Paddy" Mayne, co-founder of the SAS
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Branthoris Registered: Nov '02	Date Posted: 6/4/04 2:39pm Subject: RE: Freedom for the Press to lie?
	There are defamation laws in place which should be used. Freedom of the press does not mean freedom to report untrue allegations--and that includes repeating defamatory accusations made by someone else. False allegations by pupils against teachers is a more specific matter, and it's partly because of them that I think that any person accused of a sex offence should have anonymity up to the point of conviction. Too many lives have been ruined by unfounded sex allegations--allegations made by false 'victims' given full anonymity by the law.
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Darth-Seldon Registered: May '03	Date Posted: 6/4/04 4:31pm Subject: RE: Freedom for the Press to lie?
	Newspapers don't look at both sides of the story sometimes. They look at one side, they are have sensational stories...so they will print one side and ignore or fail to report the other. -Seldon -----signature----- Isaac Asimov was an innovative genius All posters are equal but some posters are more equal than others. JOE BIDEN 2012
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Darth Dane Registered: May '00	Date Posted: 6/4/04 6:16pm Subject: RE: Freedom for the Press to lie?
	Fox has through courtorder, been allowed to lie through their media. Will find link later, unless someone beats me too it. -----signature----- I know I forgot some point or other Proceed in Love SPOILER AND TRAILER FREE UNTIL EPISODE III Glue Join the Club http://boards.theforce.net/message.asp?topic=8152025 Dark Lord of the JC There MAY be a hidden message ! Room 108
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Darth Dane Registered: May '00	Date Posted: 6/5/04 2:29am Subject: RE: Freedom for the Press to lie?
	Here is one link and here is another How much can we really trust the media? -----signature----- I know I forgot some point or other Proceed in Love SPOILER AND TRAILER FREE UNTIL EPISODE III Glue Join the Club http://boards.theforce.net/message.asp?topic=8152025 Dark Lord of the JC There MAY be a hidden message ! Room 108
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
darth_paul Registered: Apr '00	Date Posted: 6/5/04 6:04am Subject: RE: Freedom for the Press to lie?
	Wow, that was maddeningly vague. -----signature----- So this is how liberty dies... with thunderous applause.
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
GarthSchmader Registered: Jan '03	Date Posted: 6/5/04 7:28am Subject: RE: Freedom for the Press to lie?
	As long as we have the freedom not to buy, I'm thinking that we'll be OK on this one. Still, the links provided by Darth Dane do disturb me, because it is further proof that the courts cannt be trusted. -----signature----- "MTV does for MUSIC what KFC does for CHICKEN!" -Louis Black
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Darth Dane Registered: May '00	Date Posted: 6/5/04 7:44am Subject: RE: Freedom for the Press to lie?
	If you wanna find other sites on this, just search google with: Fox, media, lie, court Or another combo This hasn't been so publicly announced...I wonder why? I'll hopefully provide a link later, with some video footage from Fox, commenting the case. -----signature----- I know I forgot some point or other Proceed in Love SPOILER AND TRAILER FREE UNTIL EPISODE III Glue Join the Club http://boards.theforce.net/message.asp?topic=8152025 Dark Lord of the JC There MAY be a hidden message ! Room 108
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Mr44 Title: Manager Emeritus Registered: May '02	Date Posted: 6/5/04 7:46am Subject: RE: Freedom for the Press to lie? - Date Edited: 6/5/04 8:14am (1 edits total) Edited By: Mr44
	Garth, you do know that those stories aren't real, right? (well, of course they are real, but satirical..) Much like the Onion draws wacky conclusions based on current events. example HERE You see, the court of appeals never ruled on the legality of new agencies "lying." The case revolved around a reporter who was writting a story on cow-hormone use in the dairy industry. When Fox news killed the story after pressure from the dairy lobby, Akre sued. Since the original damages were brought forth using Florida's whislteblower protection, the legal violation had to be included. What was argued was that there was no law that was broken, so the there was no whistleblower case. One can debate the effect of news organization's links to lobbying groups, but there is nothing against the law about that arrangement. -----signature----- When you enter a room full of armed men, shoot the first person who makes a move- hostile or otherwise He has started to think and is therefore dangerous... -- Colonel "Paddy" Mayne, co-founder of the SAS
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
GarthSchmader Registered: Jan '03	Date Posted: 6/5/04 9:25am Subject: RE: Freedom for the Press to lie?
	Sure the story is "real", but I guess it depends what you mean by "real" . What needs to come into play now is a deep inquiry into what OTHER policy/law distinctions will be taken advantage of. It's a policy, not a law, sure, but then what the hell is a policy for in the first place? Oh yeah...politics...policy. I get it. Keeping up appearances, without actual responsibility. Very clever. Thanks, Mr44! -----signature----- "MTV does for MUSIC what KFC does for CHICKEN!" -Louis Black
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
GarthSchmader Registered: Jan '03	Date Posted: 6/5/04 9:12pm Subject: RE: Freedom for the Press to lie?
	This quote is from DarthGeist in the current Michael Moore thread: If the NRA planned the meeting in Colorado years in advance, and were then bound by law to hold it there, believing that they swung by on a whim won't change that. If I'm registered Democratic, it doesn't matter if someone believes I'm a hardline Republican—no matter how much they believe it. If the Holocaust happened, believing that it didn't won't make all the corpses go away. If the CIA had nothing to do with Osama, believing that they did won't retroactively give him the "expert CIA training" he never had. If you're about to walk into a tree, not believing in the tree won't help you. And so on. It's not a question of what your perspective is; it's a question of how informed you are. Perspectives based on misinformation, or no information at all, are weaker by far than perceptives from those with all the facts. Wise words that belong here much more than they do there, in the Moore thread. -----signature----- "MTV does for MUSIC what KFC does for CHICKEN!" -Louis Black
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Darth Dane Registered: May '00	Date Posted: 6/6/04 4:18am Subject: RE: Freedom for the Press to lie? - Date Edited: 6/6/04 4:22am (1 edits total) Edited By: Darth Dane
	Another link On that page there is this link, which provides a link which have the fox network commenting on the case. -----signature----- I know I forgot some point or other Proceed in Love SPOILER AND TRAILER FREE UNTIL EPISODE III Glue Join the Club http://boards.theforce.net/message.asp?topic=8152025 Dark Lord of the JC There MAY be a hidden message ! Room 108
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
DarthBud Registered: Jan '03	Date Posted: 6/6/04 9:50am Subject: RE: Freedom for the Press to lie?
	All of the media lie, not just Fox. -----signature----- The demons we fight are the demons we create. I'm becoming who people think I am and slowly losing who I really am.
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Guinastasia Registered: Jun '02	Date Posted: 6/6/04 9:57am Subject: RE: Freedom for the Press to lie?
	Actually, the Rense site is not a satire. It's some nutjob who actually believes all that. Which, in my opinion, makes it even funnier. -----signature----- Founder of the Face Loran & Ton Phanan Appreciation Society Dark Lady of the JCC, currently retired Member of the Obi-Wan Kenobi Fan Club High Dominatrix of Flyboys, WJFC EUDF Captain, Retired Ravenclaw 0wns your sorry ass
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History