I spent 35 years in the media and I firmly believe that the media should have to pay for its failure to get the facts.
The media has non many occasions destroyed peopled careers and reputations because the media member does not like the person harmed. Sometimes the meida are just helping a law enforcement agency get the public off their backs by using the leaked Person of Interest ploy.
It is based on the belief that it is better that an innocent person be ruined than the public discover that the law enforcement agency is inept.
The FBI and other law enforcement agencies have often used the technique of leaking to the media that someone is a person of interest. They sometimes do it even when they have zero proof that the person committed any crime. They have a record of leaking this person of interest stuff about innocent persons.
If the media had to pay for publishing the law enforcement lies, they would stop printing and broadcasting it. Law enforcement would have to respond to public pressure by actually finding the guilty person or persons.
As it is the FBI still does not know who sent the Anthrax..
Covering a failure to solve crimes by listing innocent people as ersons of interest needs to be stopped. Stopping it at the media level is a good way to proceed.
Great post.
But I have my doubts about this case.
The Times says "The FBI ought to investigate Hatfield".
Is that statement true or false? Neither one. The dissenting judge had a point.
As for printing what LEA says at a press conference, the truth defence applies. They really did say it.
I agree with every word you've said, CT.