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Free Press Isn't Free under White House's Onerous Rules (Editorial)

posted by martyb on Friday November 23 2018, @07:35PM   Printer-friendly
from the disinvite dept.

An Anonymous Coward writes:

Free press isn't free under White House's onerous rules (Editorial)

Muzzling the press is chapter one in the authoritarian ruler's playbook. By the Founders' design, the president of the United States is not a king or dictator. He doesn't control the media, or get to decide which reporters are assigned to cover him.

A free press isn't free if the government imposes rules on what reporters can ask and how they must ask it. That violates the First Amendment. Period.

Banning reporters from asking follow-up questions or challenging the president's statements, under threat of taking away their access to the White House, hobbles the watchdog function of the media. White House reporters will be looking over their shoulders, calibrating the consequences, every time they ask tough questions. Meanwhile, the president will be able to dodge accountability and lie to the American people with even more impunity.

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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 23 2018, @11:30PM (3 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 23 2018, @11:30PM (#765729)

    Saying socialism is a bad idea because the Nazis falsely promised it to trick the population into voting for them makes about as much sense as saying candy is a bad idea because strangers will lure your children away with candy to kidnap them.

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  • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 23 2018, @11:46PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 23 2018, @11:46PM (#765737)

    Or for that matter the Stalinism example.

    But get a load of democracy! Surely you've heard of the German Democratic Republic [wikipedia.org] or the Democratic People's Republic of Korea! We'd better avoid democracy at all costs! Especially when organized as a republic!

  • (Score: 3, Touché) by Runaway1956 on Saturday November 24 2018, @12:14AM (1 child)

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Saturday November 24 2018, @12:14AM (#765742) Journal

    But, you missed the fact that both the Soviet and Red China used the very same playbook. They promised a socialist utopia, then proceeded to genocide half of their own population. It's a common theme with socialism. Promise the chumps whatever you think they want - you can always kill them off after the election or coup or whatever.

    • (Score: 3, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 24 2018, @03:03AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 24 2018, @03:03AM (#765790)

      It's a common theme with socialism. Promise the chumps whatever you think they want - you can always kill them off after the election or coup or whatever.

      As opposed to Capitalism which promises the chumps whatever it thinks they want then kills them off with the next cost-cutting decision.