U.S. press freedom plunges to 46th behind former Soviet states

reply to post by Maigret


This country has always been one step away from fascist leaders.

The misnomer is people only thinking it can come from 1 side.

Government has been,is, and always will be the biggest threat to the people.

Ah yes, that one. Thanks Neo and Ketsuko, I forgot about that, what's it called? The...

I promise to the IRS we didn't downsize because of obamacare,
and if you try to pin us down we'll plead the 5th, just like the IRS did Act of 2014.

I was thinking it was something like JPM trying to restructure and cover up their commodities business.

Frankly, it's the kind of thing that was always just inevitable. I really kind of doubt that the press was ever any better, freer or more "professional". The higher probability is they were just better at hiding it. Or they were more determined to make it look like they were the good guys. I don't think the press is ever going to enforce any kind of real accountability. They can always be bought, bullied or infiltrated by people who have their own agenda. The concept of a free press as a watchdog only works until someone picks the locks.

reply to post by Bassago


I know the US is a joke when it comes to journalism, but I have to ask, how the hell did Canada manage 18th place. I know from direct experience that you have to threaten reporters with lawsuits and more in order to get them to print a fully evidenced story on government and university corruption. And even then, they try to spin the story away from the truth.

Cheers - Dave

bobs_uruncle
reply to post by Bassago

 

I know the US is a joke when it comes to journalism, but I have to ask, how the hell did Canada manage 18th place. I know from direct experience that you have to threaten reporters with lawsuits and more in order to get them to print a fully evidenced story on government and university corruption. And even then, they try to spin the story away from the truth.

Cheers - Dave

Not sure what's up with Canada getting 18th place. Your description of Canada sounds pretty bad so that only makes the US look even worse. Gak! Pretty unbelievable isn't it. We're becoming the North American Banana Republic.

buster2010
So the Nazis would have rated a satisfactory situation? Some people seem to forget or never knew how the Nazis really controlled the press. Saying the government controls the press like the Nazis is laughable at best.

I knew you'd be around to support Obama. So you find the US plunging to 46th as acceptable? No problems? Obama and the Democrats are doing things just right?

Bassago

bobs_uruncle
reply to post by Bassago

 

I know the US is a joke when it comes to journalism, but I have to ask, how the hell did Canada manage 18th place. I know from direct experience that you have to threaten reporters with lawsuits and more in order to get them to print a fully evidenced story on government and university corruption. And even then, they try to spin the story away from the truth.

Cheers - Dave

Not sure what's up with Canada getting 18th place. Your description of Canada sounds pretty bad so that only makes the US look even worse. Gak! Pretty unbelievable isn't it. We're becoming the North American Banana Republic.

True story though, I had to threaten to sue the newspaper and sent them a letter stating that if they didn't publish and anything went "south," they would be civilly and criminally liable, since they talked to perps involved which let them know I was acting on all the evidence. I blew the whistle on a 150 million dollar tax and public funds fraud and had all the evidence, still do, but I am now under federal gag orders to not speak/print the names or publish information with the names. The perps threatened to kidnap my kids and kill my wife over this little affair. I had to get the story published as a bit of insurance to stop the threats from being carried out. To give you an idea of how crazy this all was, I did an FOIA on myself with CSIS, they wrote me back with 9 statutes relating to national security issues as well involving disrupting the government of Canada and its ability to govern including foreign governments and institutions. Of course the CSIS response is probably driven as well by my proximity to weapons deals and ambassador involvement offshore during military embargoes ;-)

Regardless, this is how criminal governments protect their criminal activities by invoking criminal laws.

Cheers - Dave

Maigret

neo96

edit on 12-2-2014 by neo96 because: double dramatic posts whoops

Did Abraham Lincoln know something way back then?

He said: 'America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.'

Source: teresakogut.files.wordpress.com...

Lincoln was a traitor to this country. He was a progressive scum bag before being a progressive scum bag was cool. The truth is out there people what you were taught in school was a lie.



He paved the road for tyranny. He should be remembered as a traitor plain and simple........Find the truth. It will make you wonder what other lies might be out there.

reply to post by SubTruth


Care to give some examples?

reply to post by Bassago


yup....

Goebbels would be proud....

reply to post by SubTruth


United we stand, Divided we fall comes to mind.

I am curious as to what Lincoln did to be classified as a traitor. The civil war was fought over states rights, not slavery (if that's where your argument / position was going to go).

OccamsRazor04


I knew you'd be around to support Obama. So you find the US plunging to 46th as acceptable? No problems? Obama and the Democrats are doing things just right?

First of all I didnt see him supporting then Obama or the Democrats Nor did he say the current situation was good.

All he said was that you cant compare it to NAZI Germany....at least not quite yet.


O thats right I forgot on ATS is you dont 100% agree with something said then your automaticaly a Obama lover. Forgot that rule.
/sarcasm

Krazysh0t
[
I dunno man, I'm sure that after a page or two some Democrat will come in here and blame this on Bush or the Republicans.

I think there enough blame to be spread round both sides.

Rather than playing silly left/Right games you should concentrate on fixing the problem before you end up 100th place.

Here's a fun tidbit from last week that relates to the America's pitiful sliding press freedom score. With representatives like this how can we not fail?

Frustrated that Snowden is apparently living freely in Moscow, congressman Mike Rogers (R-Mich) summoned the FBI director before his House committee to float a truly novel and pernicious theory of First Amendment law. At that hearing last week, he attempted to persuade FBI Director James Comey to accept his idea that publishing classified secrets is a crime if the publisher was paid for his work.

So, if the owners of and reporters at The Guardian of London or The New York Times or The Washington Post, who publicly revealed the secrets Snowden gave them, were paid for their work, the Rogers argument goes, they, too, could be prosecuted for espionage. Link

OccamsRazor04
reply to post by SubTruth

 

Care to give some examples?

I had to find the truth for myself and so should you. I will give you one little hint....... freedom of the press. And do not give me the old well the country was in a crisis bit. We should judge people by there actions in the worst of times. This is were you find the true self.

Xcathdra
reply to post by SubTruth

 

United we stand, Divided we fall comes to mind.

I am curious as to what Lincoln did to be classified as a traitor. The civil war was fought over states rights, not slavery (if that's where your argument / position was going to go).

Take a penny,nickel,dime,quarter and lay them all heads up on a table. Which one is not looking at the flag. Someone along the way understood what I am saying and gave us this little gem.

reply to post by therealguyfawkes


I agree, but in a nation where corporate power rules and had become a monopoly on about every aspect including what used to be once the free media, to have a job in journalism with any conglomerate media is like giving away your soul to the devil in order to keep your job.

Sad but free journalism is now considered a crime in America this days as the present administration is proven to be one of the most anti journalist one ever when dealing with persecuting whistle bowers and any one that criticizes the government.

Bull crap. People in Britain get arrested for minor internet posts all of the time. Anyone remember this article?:

Neil Phillips, who runs Crumbs in Rugeley, Staffordshire, says he was also finger-printed and DNA-swabbed after officers received complaints about what he insists were harmless gags. In one online post, the 44-year-old wrote: ‘My PC takes so long to shut down I’ve decided to call it Nelson Mandela.’

www.frontpagemag.com...

Only one of many examples. The crackdown on freedom of press and freedom of speech is insane in Europe. The only reason America was ranked lowed is simple. When American journalists, or whistleblowers are arrested, they are made MARTYRS. We take first amendment rights very seriously in America. What happens when whistleblowers or journalists are arrested here?

Outrage. Rallies where people hold signs saying stuff like "join the movement" and "I want YOU to blow the whistle." This leads to many people joining the movement and becoming journalists. What happens is, it is very unlikely for those journalists to get arrested, but journalists in America arrested are likely to have had become journalists in response to something. People like Alex Jones, Glenn Beck or Bill O'Reilly, say what you'll feel about them, would not be allowed to air in Europe. Glenn Beck and Fox News have actually been officially banned from Europe.

In europe, what happens when someone is arrested over journalism? They are made an example out of, but more likely their story just doesnt reach the ears of many people.

Look at european news websites, or watch news specials on BBC on youtube. BBC indeed does have informative documentaries compared to the american television, but they are incredibly one-sided, moreso than American media. And just look at BBC's youtube channel, it is full of more worthless, unimportant news designed to distract than MSNBC. That's saying something. Here is one BBC documentary that will make you fume.



The press freedom index should be based on how diverse the media is in opinion, not numbers of arrests. If it did that, America may be higher, or lower on that list, but there is no way we'd be behind Germany, Sweden, Britain, France, or God forbid, South Africa.

reply to post by therealguyfawkes


While I agree with your sentiment, it is easier said than done. For one, if journalists do what you suggest they lose their jobs and you can bet they won't get another in any corporate media, not even as a freelancer.
Secondly, the journalists aren't in charge of what is printed/broadcasted, the owners of the media outlets are. Since those are either big companies with their arms up to the elbows in what is going on, I'd wager their interest in exposing the lies is rather limited. Or they are indeed smaller companies, which of course are indepted to the banks and depend on revenue through commercials which they will lose more quickly than you can say "freedom of the press".

I believe the real irony of this story is that the vast majority of Americans will never read it or care if they do, and instead focus on the next brain dead celebrity gossip touted as "breaking news" in the headlines.