"What is government itself but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary."--James Madison
My complaint isn't with the First Amendment, per se. It's with one of its undergirding premises, that man can be his own watchdog. ("The fox guarding the White House, if you will.")
As for your ironic 'suggestions,' one or two actually make good sense to me. ;)
As the NY Times reconfirms daily, one substandard operation by a hack publisher / editor / journalist can do infinitely more mortal harm than, say, your average, run-of-the-mill medical malpractice. So why shouldn't being a 'journalist' require some minimal level of training/competence/character and a license?
... or as that fierce defender of a free press, H. L. Mencken, perhaps inadvertently put it, "It is hard to believe that a man is telling the truth when you know that you would lie if you were in his place." |