Sunday, March 13, 2016

Shouting fire in a crowded theater....

There is no lose of topics to discuss after hearing some of the
comments made by Donald Trump. The latest came at a recent rally
when he said the libel laws need to be changed.

On first blush its easy to think this would weaken the freedom
of the press, written in the First Amendment.

But, maybe not. Tightening libel laws may be appropriate when
we see what has become of the only industry given license in
the Constitution.

How many times have we seen hard hitting, convincing editorials
blast a business, an industry or elected official? This is not
to say editorial writers must be gagged, but what they write
should be responsible, factual and complete.  We need to ensure
the people targeted are fairly treated, so they do not have to
go through great expense to respond.

There have been occasions when some newspapers seem to have
vendettas, deploying an editorial onslaught, a daily drumbeat
to convince readers its viewpoint is right while its target is
wrong.

Something to consider.

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