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Is There a Line that Defines What Forms of Free Speech Are Protected under the First Amendment?

craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Is There a Line that Defines What Forms of Free Speech Are Protected under the First Amendment?Sorry for the bait and switch, but I don’t have a clue.

Here’s a story about Fox News’ victory in a Florida court of appeals, establishing that news broadcasters have no binding legal obligation to tell the truth, or, to put it in the affirmative, have the right, under the First Amendment, to lie or deliberately distort news reports on public airwaves. Fox successfully argued that, although the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) has a “policy” to the effect that broadcasters shouldn’t knowingly lie, that this is not a “rule,” and, even if it were, such a rule would be unconstitutional.

Personally, I would have said that there is no material difference between broadcasting information that one knows to be false (and therefore potentially damaging to the viewer) and shouting “fire!” in a crowded theater. But apparently, that just shows how ignorant I am on matters like these.

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One comment on “Is There a Line that Defines What Forms of Free Speech Are Protected under the First Amendment?”
  1. Steven Andrews says:
    February 15, 2015 at 8:39 pm

    Well, there we have it: JUST LIKE POLITICS! You can lie in everybody’s face and mock and lie until it’s beleived to be the truth!
    Where will all this end? Now we can really be sure of what we suspected for some time: News isn’t true, it’s just publicity for some interested party to adjust public opinion.
    That’s very difficult to define, to swallow and here we are trying to be safer.
    What will come next? Laws that may be accomodated to whatever feelings we have, and judges that will judge according to what? It’s beginning to appear we are lost.