Should Fox News & Roger Ailes be charged with inducing panic in the U.S.?

[Divine Discontent]

Poll question: Should Fox News & Roger Ailes be charged with inducing panic in the U.S.?

My old employers (they run a couple of small stores out West) are literally going batshit crazy over President Obama's health care initiative. She SHOUTED at me in email about 100 words of the 2000 she typed about how he's going to force them to go to an Advance End of Life meeting at 65, and claims all kind of sad things that they can only come from the far right's lying to her. These people aren't seniors yet, I can only imagine the panic they're causing with them! The violence and more so (at this point), disorderly conduct, that is erupting at Rep's forums on health care are making it clear that induced panic and mania are the goals of the medical insurance industry.

Should they be charged with lying and inciting panic amongst several sectors of our society (disabled, elderly, health care employees who are told they will all lose their jobs as only 'hospital' jobs will be available)?



UPDATE! I just watched COUNTDOWN - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/ns/msnbc_tv-countdown_with_keith_olbermann#32337192
and in his report, Keith shows a RALLY in PUEBLO, CO, where my friend and former employee lives - she said she was getting more involved locally a few days ago, and therefore, she either was there, or heard this on TV/radio! I will be sending her this link.

[jefferson_dem]

1. Naw.

Ailes should be charged and convicted (in the "court of public opinion") for being a bottom-feeding scumbaggy propagandist

...but i'm pretty much a first amendment absolutest.

So...no way would I support governmental action, regardless of how much I despise the target.

[depakid]

2. How about just doing what we're already been accused, tried and convicted of?

For starters- put media regulations that worked well up and into the 1980's back in place.

Divest Newscorp of some broadcast channels for example. Not so hard, really.

[Divine Discontent]

3. good start! amazed they also are allowed to lie to viewers according to a judge's decision & still

be called "Fox News".

[depakid]

4. The rules, regs and decisions are still there to see in any decent law library

[harun]

5. I doubt your employers have ever had a rational thought in their lives.

All they need to do is ask themselves the simple question of "Why would they put something like that in the bill?"

There is no reason they would do something like that, Dem or Rep. It is pure fear mongering with no basis.

[Divine Discontent]

7. I agree! and I agree with the thoughts on them. They looked up to Ray-Gun (one did, the other

is a Vietnam vet that is a Dem at heart but the spouse controls the talk of the house)

[onenote]

6. can you point me to the statute that talks about "inducing panic"?

[Divine Discontent]

8. I'm from Ohio, and in Ohio they have a law against inducing panic

http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/2917.31

but beyond that, regardless of what the fed. govt holds in its laws, as surely there's something about what Faux is doing on the airwaves, I think they should bust them for being a threat domestically to the country by trying to induce panic by lying about what is in a bill to scare the public into acting out directly on Congress members at town meetings.

[jefferson_dem]

15. This is a constiutional question. Political speech must produce a "clear and present danger"

to society or the regime for it to be regulated. The shit FauxNews spews (while deplorable as fuck) doesn't come close to satisfying that standard.

[onenote]

17. +1

[Vidar]

9. Yes.

[vaberella]

10. These idiots are inducing violence. If there is a statute against that...I say go for it. n/t

[Divine Discontent]

13. I hope they will! best to you vaberella! eom

[and-justice-for-all]

11. encouraging violence and hostility is not at all acceptable..nt

[Gman2]

12. This is the crowded theater yelling fire case.

They should be sued for the extra SS protection over and above normal. I am getting tired of their freeloading.

[onenote]

18. no its not

I suggest you read the cases

[Ian David]

14. Shouting "They're gonna kill grandma!" in a crowded theater.

Deport Murdoch back to Australia.

[cornermouse]

16. I am sickened and saddened at what I see them doing.

[DailyGrind51]

19. It seems to meet the "yelling 'FIRE' in a crowded theater" criteria,

because it has precipitated violence.

[IndianaGreen]

20. Other: US should adopt same media law being proposed in Venezuela

which, while protecting freedom of the press, prevents corporate monopolies from inciting insurrection or undermining the people's interests as they are doing in the USA.

What America needs is our own version of a Bolivarian Revolution!

Venezuelan National Assembly Discusses Combating Media Terrorism

August 6th 2009, by Tamara Pearson – Venezuelanalysis.com

Mérida, August 5th 2009 (Venezuelanalysis.com) - In response to private international and national media claims that Venezuela is discussing a media law which denies freedom of expression and punishes journalists, National Assembly members said that no such law proposal exists, only a discussion around how to combat the "media dictatorship" and "media terrorism."

The president of the media commission in the National Assembly, Manuel Villalba, said on Tuesday that a proposal for a law with 17 articles, as claimed by some media, doesn't exist and that rather, the Attorney General, Luisa Diaz, had presented ideas to the National Assembly, which are being debated, but that there is no consensus around her proposals.

"It's not official," Villalba said, explaining that no law had been formally presented or proposed. "All this just confirms that there are media owners who are systematically disseminating false opinions," he said.

Legislator Rosario Pacheco said that so far the draft that they have of the law considers media crime the publication of false, manipulative or distorted information that causes "harm to the interests of the state" or that threatens "public morale or mental health." The assembly has discussed a maximum penalty of four years prison.

Journalist Asalia Venegis told Venezuelan Television (VTV), "This law project... incorporates everything that is unequivocally expressed in the Law of Journalist Practice and the Code of Ethics, which establish a series of perspectives over what the treatment of the news and the role of the journalist should be."

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news/4694

[mitchum]

21. No...they should be put up against the wall