Or for that matter, any of the cable "News" channels? That may be the case since the Supreme Court refused to hear a
case out of Pennsylvania.
WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court refused Monday to shield the news media from being sued for accurately reporting a politician's false charges against a rival.
snip
The case turned on whether the 1st Amendment's protection of the freedom of the press includes a "neutral reporting privilege." Most judges around the nation have said the press does not enjoy this privilege.
"He said, She said" may no longer be a defence for the pathetic job our "News" giants do.
more
Something tells me FOX is more upset by this ruling than any other group. As the top organ of the GOP's message machine they thrive on "reporting" whayever someone else says, regardless of any supporting facts. Terri Schiavo's case is the latest but not the one the press is using to defend itself. They chose the case that was their worst ever, in my opinion.
From the LA Times article.(Reg/Req)
In their appeal to the high court, lawyers for the paper said news organizations should be allowed to report what public figures say, regardless of whether it is true or false.
Otherwise, they said, for example, the press could not have reported last year on the charges lodged against Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth because Kerry's supporters said their charges were false.
But noted Philadelphia lawyer Richard Sprague, who represented the mayor and the councilman, said the high court should not "grant a license to knowingly publish defamatory falsehoods." In the end, the Supreme Court dismissed the case of Troy Publishing vs. Norton without comment.
Notice how they still try to weasle their way out of the truth with a "he said, she said" in this instance as well.
Now I'm not totally sure how I feel about all of this. OTOH, I think it's high time that the bullshit being put on Cable News be stopped. But, otoh, I worry about a chilling effect on the press as well. I wouldn't shed a tear if Rupert Murdoch and his propaganda machine were smacked around a bit in the courts but I still worry that this could go too far.