#Press freedom doesn't just mean the "freedom to" publish what you want. It also means "freedom from" the torrent of lies, disinformation, and foreign government propaganda bent on destroying American consensus and social cohesion.
What good does factual reporting do, if half the nation just decides not to believe it? What good does it do to hold Congressional hearings against the perpetrators of an #insurrection if half the nation thinks it's fake news?
Our founders couldn't have imagined the kind of national #delusion we're going through. If they had, they would have surely qualified the #firstamendment. (Just as they would have qualified the #secondamendment had they understood it would result in young hooligans murdering dozens of school children in a few minutes.)
#Disinformation attacks are no less damaging than kinetic warfare waged against us by another nation. Perhaps even more so. Those of us who remember the 20th century can't fathom that so many Americans have been turned against the ideals of #freedom, #equality, and #justice. Anyone time-traveling to the 2020s from the 1970s or '80s would be astounded that so many Americans openly believe Russian propaganda, as well as diabolical pro-wealth propaganda. They would simply be shocked that billionaires would be allowed to keep pushing this filth onto people's phones and into their living rooms. We're living in a completely alien nation compared to the one I grew up in.
No government that allows the enemies of democracy to weaponize the information space in this fashion will remain democratic for long.
@sean Bullshit.
Freedom of speech means *freedom* of speech and freedom of the press is literally freedom to publish whatever you want. You do not have any right to muzzle other people because you don't like what they're saying, even when what they're saying is delusional.
The reasons for this are self-evident: If there were laws against "disinformation", they can just as easily be weaponized against information by those in charge. Our founders knew this too: The British considered the rebelling colonies to be just as delusional as you consider the insurrectionists.
Speech is inherently subjective. When you cede control of it to the government, it's just a matter of time until those restrictions are used against you.
Instead of trying to silence those you disagree with, speak against them. Allow people to hear both sides of the story and make their own decisions. That's how a truly free society operates.
