So we cherish free speech, enshrined in our Bill of Rights. And a free press, able to serve as a watchdog, shining light on power, and any potential abuses of that power. Yet, this permits an outlet like Fox to mold and manipulate the world view of its viewers, in a way that can be injurious to the body politic. Is it the job of a free press to promulgate and spread irrational conspiracy theories, with no basis in fact? The fact that Fox does this, to such a degree, is itself an abuse of the freedom we allow our press.
But who serves as the ref, who determines that such and such press organization offers facts, and this is acceptable, and such and such a press organization offers conspiracy, filling the minds of its viewership with bs and false information as the basis for informing their political calculations, and can we call this unacceptable?
Free speech and free press allows this, and allowing this permits the growth of ideas injurious to the body politic. Quite the conundrum. How to combat the spread of bs, while protecting free speech and a free press. To the extent an outlet like Fox encourages the growth of crackpot ideas that permeate a portion of the electorate, the goal, if goal it be, of an educated electorate, an electorate educated in the issues, an electorate able to recognize when political figures and certain media are cynically manipulating their thoughts and emotions, is rendered harder to achieve.
Yet, free speech. And we accept that means allowing speech, ideas, that ultimately hurt the body politic, hurt when alternate realities with no basis in fact are the deliberate product of a free press organ using free speech to mold and manipulate the electorate with false alternative information. And no refs to whistle a flagrant foul.
But, I am partisan, and anyone is free to zero in on an MSNBC media, and claim that is where alternative realities are being promulgated by our free press and media. And none of this is really new. Politicians of either party have their supporters and detractors in the media, and that has been the case for the life of our republic. It sure isn’t a perfect system, and, if there is a solution to these flaws, it escapes me.
