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Re: Trump Wants to Undermine First Amendment

By: Cactus Flower in ALEA | Recommend this post (0)
Sat, 27 Feb 16 4:41 AM | 97 view(s)
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Msg. 18227 of 54959
(This msg. is a reply to 18226 by clo)

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Trump isn't the chap to change the laws, of course.

But the notion of defamation/ reputational damage is a concept that already exists in the US as a limitation on free speech. So it is only a question of where the line is drawn.

It is kinda mythological that the first amendment is unabridged. It is abridged where harms are done to the vulnerable. eg sharing pornographic pictures of minors is a form of speech and properly a criminal offence.

If someone lies about you in a damaging way, I also see no problem with the law providing a remedy.

A workable defence for the author is that they told the truth.

Newspapers ought not to be in the business of dishonest reporting. For myself, I don't think the Washington Post and the NYT are.

Trump dislikes the truths and the opinions that are told about him and wants them to stop. As folks with dictatorial leanings tend to. He's trying to scare them into giving him a pass. And at the same time, sucking up to the folks who are trained to hate the media (ie Republicans).

Is there anyone left that he doesn't want to crush?


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The above is a reply to the following message:
Trump Wants to Undermine First Amendment
By: clo
in ALEA
Sat, 27 Feb 16 3:35 AM
Msg. 18226 of 54959

Where are those strict constitutionalists?

Trump Wants to Undermine First Amendment

Presidential candidate Donald Trump said Friday during a rally in Texas that he wants to "open up our libel laws so when [reporters] write purposely negative and horrible and false articles, we can sue them and win lots of money." The GOP frontrunner suggested that when he becomes president, places like The New York Times and The Washington Post, "the most dishonest media outlets I've ever seen in my life," will pay for their unfavorable coverage of his campaign. He continued, "I think the media is among the most dishonest groups of people I've ever met. They're terrible."

Once he's able to rectify the issue of "horrible" media coverage, he said, "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 they're totally protected."

Such an overhaul of free-press laws would require serious alterations to the meaning of the First Amendment. But Trump didn't mention that part, of course.

more:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2016/02/26/trump-wants-to-destroy-first-amendment.html?via=newsletter&source=CSPMedition


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