John Kerry calls First Amendment ‘major block’ in holding media ‘accountable’

POLLS INDICATE AMERICANS’ TRUST IN THE MEDIA IS AT AN ALL TIME LOW.

IT’S ONE OF THE RARE ISSUES AMERICANS AGREE ON ACROSS THE POLITICAL AISLE.

THE RIGHT OFTEN CALLING MUCH OF WHAT THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA REPORTS “FAKE NEWS”

AND THE LEFT CATEGORIZING MUCH OF THE REPORTING FROM THE RIGHT AS A “DISINFORMATION” PROBLEM.

BUT HOW TO RESOLVE IT –

REMAINS PARTISAN.

THE ISSUE COMING INTO THE SPOTLIGHT RECENTLY AFTER JOHN KERRY – FORMER PRESIDENT OBAMA’S SECRETARY OF STATE – CALLED THE FIRST AMENDMENT “A MAJOR BLOCK” IN HAVING ANY SORT OF “ACCOUNTABILITY ON FACTS” FROM THE MEDIA.

HIS REMARKS HIGHLIGHTING THE DEBATE OVER FREE SPEECH AND CONTROVERSIAL EFFORTS TO POLICE FAKE NEWS OR DISINFORMATION.

“There’s a lot of discussion now on how you curb those entities in order to guarantee you’re going to have some sort of accountability on facts etc. but look, if people go to one source, and that source is sick and has an agenda and puts out disinformation, our first amendment stands as a major block to the ability to be able to just you know hammer it out of existence.”

KERRY SAYING THE ISSUE OF DISINFORMATION IS ONE UNIQUE TO DEMOCRACIES –

BECAUSE THERE’S NO ONE LEADER WITH THE SOLE POWER TO DEFINE WHAT FACTS REALLY ARE.

BUT KERRY SAYING THE ELECTION IN NOVEMBER COULD CREATE CHANGE – DEPENDING ON WHO WINS CONGRESS AND THE WHITE HOUSE.

“What you need, what we need, is to win the ground, win the right to govern, by hopefully winning enough votes that you’re free to be able to implement change.

KERRY’S WORDS MADE HEADLINES ACROSS RIGHT-LEANING NEWS OUTLETS –

WHILE LEFT-LEANING NEWS OUTLETS ARE LARGELY LEAVING HIS COMMENTS OUT OF THEIR NEWS COVERAGE –

SOMETHING YOU CAN SEE ON OUR WEBSITE USING OUR “MEDIA MISS TOOL” WHICH HIGHLIGHTS WHEN STORIES ARE BEING UNDERREPORTED BY LEFT OR RIGHT LEANING NEWS OUTLETS.

KERRY’S COMMENTS HAVE LED TO THE RESURFACING OF A SIMILAR SENTIMENT BY PROGRESSIVE CONGRESSWOMAN ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ –

IN 2021 – IN AN INSTAGRAM LIVE VIDEO – SHE ALSO CALLED FOR A RESTRAINT ON THE MEDIA.

“We’re going to have to figure out how we reign in our media environment so you can’t just spew misinformation and disinformation. It’s one thing to have differing opinions, but it’s another thing entirely to just say things that are false. So that’s something we’re looking into.”

MEDIA MISTRUST AND THE SEARCH FOR A SOLUTION IS NOTHING NEW FOR THIS NATION.

FLASHBACK TO 1949 – LAWMAKERS BACKED WHAT WAS CALLED “THE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE” – OUT OF CONCERN THE THREE MAIN NETWORKS THEN – NBC, ABC, AND CBS, COULD MISUSE THEIR BROADCAST LICENSES TO SET A BIASED PUBLIC AGENDA.

THEIR FIX?

THE FCC ENACTED THE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE REQUIRING MEDIA TO COVER CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE **AND REQUIRED THEM TO PRESENT BOTH SIDES TO A STORY WITH DIFFERING VIEWPOINTS.

THE DOCTRINE STAYED IN EFFECT FOR DECADES –

UNTIL PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN’S ADMINISTRATION ABOLISHED IT IN 1987 – OVER CONCERNS IT VIOLATED –

FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS.

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REPORTING FOR S-A-N – I’M KARAH RUCKER.