Drummed into the heads of all Journalism 101 students are two important freedom of the press cases.
In 1735, John Peter Zenger, printer of the then New York Weekly Journal was acquitted for libeling the governor.
Zenger’s attorney argued that because the governor was in a position of power affecting the citizens, he could be criticized as long as the criticism was true.
In 1964, the U.S. Supreme Court case New York Times vs. L.B Sullivan established the public figure doctrine we know today. The case determined that public officials must prove “actual malice” (publisher knew something was false or acted with reckless regard for the truth). This gave the press much needed freedom and protection to report the news about public figures.
These cases are necessary to continue our First Amendment right to a Free Press.
But we desperately need a new case for J-School students to ponder.
The Press blatantly has been allowed to lie, cheat and defame public figures just because they disagree with them.
Trump’s $15 billion defamation case against the New York Times could be just that case.
Imagine getting to interview one of the greatest minds of our generation. The richest guy in the world… and you spend the whole interview lecturing him on why he is wrong and telling him that people loathe him.
This is an embarrassment for legacy media.
Imagine being the editor-in-chief of The Economist, sitting across from Elon Musk, and thinking your killer argument is:
“Some people loathe you.”
Oh no. Not loathing.
Surely the man who launches rockets, builds cars, owns a global communications platform, and has roughly a quarter-billion followers will now collapse because a prestige-media hall monitor informed him that the faculty lounge disapproves.
Then came the dreaded label: “far right.”
And what horrifying extremist platform earned that designation?
Secure borders.
Safe cities.
Sensible spending.
Free speech.
Truly terrifying stuff. Next he may demand functional airports and criminals who remain in jail.
Musk asked which of those positions was actually radical, and suddenly the mighty machinery of elite journalism began producing the intellectual equivalent of a dial-up modem trying to connect.
Because “far right” is not an argument anymore. It is a verbal air horn journalists blast whenever normal people refuse to applaud the latest ideological renovation.
Then Musk returned the “loathed” package to sender.
Maybe some people hate him. He doesn’t care. But far more people despise the media than the media realizes.
You could almost hear the monocles hitting the floor.
Beddoes arrived expecting to perform an intervention on Elon Musk.
Instead, she accidentally hosted a public credibility audit of her own profession.
The results were not encouraging.
The press still thinks it is the stern principal summoning America into the office.
Most Americans now see it as the weird substitute teacher who lost control of the classroom years ago but keeps threatening everyone with detention.
Elon did not destroy media credibility in that interview.
He just pointed at the smoking crater and asked whether they had noticed it yet.
(article below)
How does this explosive story on @GavinNewsom awarding a no-bid contract to @JenSiebelNewsom's friend's nonprofit, Baby2Baby, only have 14k views after 18 hrs? Is it being suppressed?
Here's some incredible investigative journalism from a longtime Sacramento reporter. For all of you who think CA doesn't have real journalists, please read.
Still wrapping my head around last night.
Forget what Trump said for a second. The bigger scandal is that major networks appointed themselves gatekeepers of truth — deciding what Americans could and couldn’t see, as if we’re too dumb to do our own research.
They robbed people of the chance to watch raw and unfiltered in a supposedly free country. Let that sink in.
Still wrapping my head around last night.
Forget what Trump said for a second. The bigger scandal is that major networks appointed themselves gatekeepers of truth — deciding what Americans could and couldn’t see, as if we’re too dumb to do our own research.
They robbed people of the chance to watch raw and unfiltered in a supposedly free country. Let that sink in.
I'm done with Hannity interviews. He gets really good guests, but I'm always yelling at the TV, would you please let the man or woman answer the freaking question.
Do you still enjoy his show?
The American flag existed long before Donald Trump, and it’ll still be here long after him.
If your patriotism rises and falls based on who’s in the White House, maybe your allegiance is to politics—not the country.
The flag represents the nation and its people, not whichever administration happens to be in power.
God bless America. 🇺🇸
Disgraceful 🤬
TDS on full display 🤯
Former U.S. Olympic canoeist Davey Hearn has been indicted for destroying property at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C.
🚨#BREAKING: A police officer in Phoenix has rented out an ENTIRE 144-SEAT MOVIE THEATER for over 100 middle schoolers after their end-of-year field trip fell through, so they could see Toy Story 5.
When they got there, he realized many couldn't afford popcorn or drinks...
..so he bought EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM popcorn, candy, and a drink too.
His name is Sean Reavies,
For many kids, it was their first time ever inside of a movie theater in their lives.
When the kids asked how they could pay him back, he told them:
"As you get older in life, help other people. As a payback to me. Would you do that? That's all I ask of you."
MORE OF THIS!!!!! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Can you imagine looking at Angel Families… those that have lost their children and telling them there are better uses for your time.
What kind of person does that! @RepJayapal is a sad and disgusting human being and should not EVER represent the American people.
Well, in fact, she doesn’t represent the American people. She represents illegals, scammers and visa holders.
Newsom would rather tax billionaires than:
- Figure out where $24 billion for the homeless went
- Stop funding California’s NGO scams
- Waste $14 billion on a train to nowhere
- Continue using your tax dollars for illegals’ healthcare
Billionaires aren’t the problem, you are.