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To: conservatism_IS_compassion
Any conservative who believes that the function of journalism is objective truth-telling . . .

The function of journalism is objective truth-telling. The point your trying to make is that just because someone or something claims to be practicing it, doesn't mean that he/she/it is.

Further, I would not call the alphabet news program either journalism or entertainment. What they practice is propaganda. ABCNNBCBS is no different that the Pravada or TASS during the Soviet era.

974 posted on 01/30/2006 8:42:55 AM PST by Tribune7
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To: MortMan; Tribune7
The function of journalism is objective truth-telling.
If you notice the Second Amendment:
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.
you notice that the framers were entirely capable of assigning to a right a public purpose as justification. In the First Amendment, OTOH,
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
you find nothing of the sort. Freedom of the press does not exist to give you objective truth; freedom of the press exists because it is freedom. The whole Constitution exists to "secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity," and freedom of expression is simply one aspect of freedom.

The bottom line is that people are allowed to use printing presses for fun and profit. And so, naturally enough, that is just what they do. And part of that fun and profit comes from claiming to be objective. They do it because they can.

Actually being objective, of course, is a horse of a different color. They aren't objective because they don't have to be - and because it's too hard (in fact, it is impossible).


977 posted on 01/30/2006 9:18:31 AM PST by conservatism_IS_compassion (The idea around which liberalism coheres is that NOTHING actually matters but PR.)
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