Free Speech does not give a license to lie

The Fairness Doctrine was a policy of the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC), introduced in 1949, that required the holders of broadcast licenses to both present controversial issues of public importance and to do so in a manner that was, in the Commission's view, honest, equitable and balanced. In other words if you had a license to broadcast, you couldn't lie. 
Restrictive? Perhaps. Oppressive? No. Necessary? Evidently yes. It was the check and balance system that kept news organizations from having private agendas. It was revoked in 1987 by the FCC deeming that the doctrine was unconstitutional. That it kept broadcasters from broadcasting their own opinions. They took it as a license to lie.


We have organizations that make a living on yellow journalism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_journalism). Examples of which are @theonion and the National Enquirer. They should be considered more a source of entertainment than real news, and most Americans understand that. The problem lies with news sources that call themselves legitimate and honest when in fact they are not. The source has to be known so an informed story can be told. However if you are not required to have a legitimate source, then the news can be fabricated and repeated so many times that lies become truth. Media is the nervous system of a democracy. That is why mass media that once told the truth, whether it be good or ugly, is now encouraged to take sides and divide the nation. 


Canada has laws against the manipulation of news in media. Canada's Radio Act requires that "a licenser may not broadcast....any false or misleading news." The provision has kept Fox News and right wing talk radio out of Canada and helped make Canada a model for liberal democracy and freedom.We as American's have to demand that our news sources are clean and free of manipulation. Why are we forced to swallow the spoon fed crap on our news networks when it's not good enough for Canada?


Watch the following videos that catch major newscasters in intentionally lies...