Posted on 02/27/2016 1:57:52 PM PST by dschapin
In his remarks today at a rally in Fort Worth, Tex., Donald Trump knew hed make news. Ive never said this before, he declared.
Well await the word of the Washington Post Fact Checker on the integrity of the statement, but Trump did appear to be veering into a new talking point. A media-law talking point, that is:
One of the things Im going to do, and this is going to make it tougher for me but one of the things Im going to do if I win is Im going to open up our libel laws so when they write purposely negative and horrible and false articles, we can sue them and win lots of money. Were going to open up those libel laws. So that when the New York Times writes a hit piece, which is a total disgrace, or when the Washington Post, which is there for other reasons, writes a hit piece, we can sue them and win money instead of having no chance of winning because theyre totally protected.
An attack on media law is a logical extension of Trumps rhetoric, not to mention a threat to American democracy. After all, he has displayed a highly undemocratic annoyance with the idea that the media is independent. For months he has been attempting to get the cameras at his rallies to properly pan around the thronged arenas, the better to capture his out-of-control popularity, even when the camera operators job is to stay on him. He has ridiculed reporter after reporter for reporting the facts of Trumps march through the GOP primaries. Whenever he has been busted out by investigative journalism, he has attacked the institutions that have compiled it.
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(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
No, he said he inherited it, not that it was merely “given” to him.
If the shoe was on the other foot...you'd be cheering and calling it "brilliant".
We already have those laws on the books now. If Rubio or Cruz had said the same thing that Trump did his fanboys would be screaming about tyranny.
Give it a rest. Nobody is buying into your pathetic diatribes here.
You have a bunch of people refusing to accept reality, who will grasp at anything right now. They’ll support you.
You are not converting anyone else.
You’re looking delusions, sick, and pathetic.
It’s over. Accept it.
Donald Trump is our next president.
Nothing is going to stop that. NOTHING!
No federal libel law currently exists, because libel suits are handled in state courts.
Since 1964, when the Supreme Court ruled on "New York Times vs. Sullivan," public individuals who wish to sue media companies for libel are required to prove that the news organization knowingly published false information with malicious intent.
The late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said in 2012 that he "abhors" the ruling, saying it gives news organizations the freedom to "libel public figures at will so long as somebody told you something."
Donald Trump wants to 'open up' libel laws so he can sue press
Freedom of the press has been tilted too much in favor of the press and needs to be pulled back to a more reasonable standard for proving libel.
Oh, the TDS people are out en’force this weekend.
The most dangerous people are the ones who’re drowning.
Trump said he wanted to change the libel laws. Current libel law allows public figures to sue if a news organization knowingly spreads a lie about them with the malicious intent to do harm.
Trump has already threated to sue his opponents for using adds that show clips from past Trump speaches so we know that he wants to be able to sue people for making debatable political arguments. Trump also directly threatened the Washington Post that it would be bad for them if he is elected President. He is running for dictator not president.
I think trump’s right. Free press shouldn’t make your immunity from slander any different than anyone else. I have free speech but I can’t engage in malicious slander without consequences. Why should it be different for the media?
If this is how he’s acting now, what will he be like if he were to win the presidency. I can just see it now, his daily briefings will be about who criticize him and coming up with an attack on those who do. When it comes to being thin skinned, Trump is even worse than obama. He is a bully, like obama.
Yeah you know make it like every other country in the world. Because all the other countries are so wonderful. it will be yuuge. You know opening the libel laws so that negative or hateful stuff is banned, you know like Canada, England, and the other EU countries.
The lying media should be made to be held accountable! The 1st Amendment isn’t there to protect lies, it is there to protect ones right to speak the TRUTH!
And here I thought you had caught a photo of Glen Beck floating by...
I agree that just about everything here right now involving Trump or Cruz is being seen through some strange filters.
No I wouldn’t. If Cruz had proposed this then I would be announcing today that I no longer support him. I care about the Constitution and our freedoms far more than I care about supporting any man or politician.
And the only way to force them to uphold standards is by the threat of monetary damage.
I’m also sick of them publishing horrible accusations at average Americans, then publishing a retraction a week later in tiny print at the bottom of page ten.
Retractions should be HEADLINES.
Imagine that. A Cruzer who supports media lying.
He’s called them biased liars since day one. That doesn’t stop the coverage.
If Trump wasn’t such an easy target with his mouth then there wouldn’t be an issue, eh?
Don’t worry, though, if he wins we won’t be able to post anything negative and Free Republic will be the first site to be shut down. Might as well move to Canada.
Legitimate, fair criticism is welcome.
Blatant lies are not.
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