Should news media be allowed to lie?

Many people believe that major news outlets lie to their audience regularly and that misleading the public has become business as usual.

My question to ATS... Do you think media outlets that identify themselves as "news" organizations should be allowed to intentionally lie or mislead the public?

If you do believe in the right to lie, is it a broad right, or only specific circumstances where lying or misleading is okay?

What harm or benefit do you see in a news organization that lies to or misleads its audience?

I post this in the political madness forum because it occurs to me that this might be a partisan issue. For instance, some consider lying to the public a right of free speech.

What do you think ATS?

reply to post by spiritualzombie


The media rarely overtly lies, though they often propagate the lies of others.

Journalism in the mainstream media is dead, they don't research anything, just report it. How many times have you seen them get caught passing on fake news, hoaxes or erroneous news, and later have to retract or apologize for it?

The truth is, they don't know the lies they are telling are lies, and if they do, hey It's just a job, someone has to do it.

Of course they should, it is after all for your entertainment, kind of how like some people like to pay money to see movies to get the crap scared out of them, I look at the news in a similar fashion. In all seriousness, I think we use technology very irresponsibly including using a means of distributing information in a way that is meant to manipulate and not wholefully inform is bad.

My question to ATS... Do you think media outlets that identify themselves as "news" organizations should be allowed to intentionally lie or mislead the public?

Why not ?

Politicians make their living at it.

People still watch the news?

reply to post by spiritualzombie


Of course not. Any journalist who lies should not call themselves a journalist. This applies to any newsroom where people know their editors or fellow reporters are lying. And I'd count withholding important information from their stories, or distorting the information, as lying.

Journalism should be an honored and honest profession.

reply to post by spiritualzombie


Because of the 1st Amendment, apparently yes.

Suppression of lies (and truth) is achieved by other means.

*IF* a law was passed to compel "truth" in news media, who would set the standards?

Who gets to "confirm"?

reply to post by Aleister

That's what I love about Alex Jones. /SARC

He makes a mockery of the MSM. As has been said, "Journalism is dead."

When the media prints lies, their journalist's credentials should be revoked. Two, or more, revocations and the news source should be restricted from the 'Constitutional protections' of freedom of the press. We all know what it was intended for. We also know that there are highly paid staff who are supposed to be reviewing articles before they're published.

cops, lawyers, judges, government officials, actors, senators, congressmen, even the great liar in chief, so no, these worthless info whores should tell the people the truth, period! but they are just a mouthpiece for the corporations which have bought and paid for the list above, therefore you cannot buy anything anymore.....

absolutely not.

media should be an objective 3rd party source for information gathered by investigative journalists and not a controlled filter/censor system run by marionettes.

reply to post by xuenchen


that does not give them a pass, and evaporates ANY credibility whatsoever...

reply to post by eNumbra


There are many sad lifeforms out there glued to TV and read the Daily Trash that believe every word of the lies, deceit, spin, and propaganda that is fed to them.

Are any of them here on ATS?

reply to post by spiritualzombie

Youve never heard of the NATIONAL ENQUIRER? BAT BOY and ALIENS in my refridgerator....type "news"?

Your wording is bad. "ALLOWED"? Freedom of speech. They can report what they want, how they want, when they want.

Even if there should be....there are no enforceable laws governing news stories...unless of course they are liablous or slander. Sorry.

You jsut have to choose what to read and believe. Might be the NY TIMES...or the STAR.

xuenchen
*IF* a law was passed to compel "truth" in news media, who would set the standards?

Who gets to "confirm"?

This brings up an excellent point, and in my opinion one of the worst effects of allowing news media to lie or intentionally mislead public. It turns truth into a mythical idea like religion... Everyone is free to have their own belief. So-called news sources like MSNBC and FOX News might more resemble a religion than news, and the people who watch those stations more like devoted followers than truth seekers.

I have not been educated in the ways of journalism, but I would think there must be an effective method for investigating and reporting the truth.

If you folks haven't seen HBO's wonderful series "The Newsroom" (with two seasons complete), I heartily recommend it. Great show, and full of journalistic ethics.

Most of the time the media does not have to lie, its as simple as not telling the whole truth, withholding and spinning facts are even worse than lying, also Op, remember that most mass media outlets have underlying interests that pay the bills.

In broader terms, they are a business, and look at the bottom line before everything else, sure some journalists have truth as a way of living, while most do as they are told paycheck to paycheck.

Paying the bills comes before integrity in today's world, and that in itself is a tragedy.

who watches the watchmen?

Just Google "Fox News Jane Akre lawsuit".

reply to post by xuenchen


I like the lens you're looking through. In order to ensure the survival of our first amendment we cannot allow government to suppress journalists period. Consequently that leaves us vulnerable to lies and other means of deception, but we must take the risk. As it stands now, first amendment still mostly intact, we have the means to fight back with respectable journalists who are determined not only to report to truth but to get to those who need to hear it most.

When our government can decide that a journalist is lying and hold him accountable it is only a matter of time until their idea of truth conflicts with reality and puts us back to square one on the lies. When that happens we will have given government direct control of our news media. Any and all journalism that doesn't fit their schemes and agenda will be outlawed. Everyone is well aware what typically happens from there.

reply to post by JohnFisher


Good response !!



People as individuals as well as people in "other" media have the job of calling out and the job of justifying.

The 1st Amendment allows us that freedom.

ausername
reply to post by spiritualzombie

 

The media rarely overtly lies,

Nonsense. They do it flat out and constantly during elections, and it should be a federal offense punishable by prison or death. Manipulation of the U.S. election process needs to stop being just a funny meme people post about on their FB pages. It's very serious business.