Originally Posted by Patent Attorney

Free market place of ideas. The people have the right to choose what they want to believe. The US media has FAR GREATER freedom than, for example, in England and Wales.

In England and Wales there have been numerous concerns about rampant misuse of public office, but local newspapers are very relunctant to put anything into hardcopy/print. This is totally wrong and extremly harmful to the fabric of a free society. British newspapers should not feel intimidated about publishing allegations about public officials. This chilling effect is an affront to democracy. Often things about the government can't be published in the UK without fear of litigation and massive damages/payouts.

But yeah sure, there are crap articles and crap news organs. But as a matter of law and public policy, a newsaper in the USA is free to publish serious doubts about a public figure or a corporation, this freedom does not exist in England and Wales, in the USA the emphasis is on the free market place of ideas (U.S. S. Ct.). In contrast, if any British newspaper published Blair was a liar, toe-rag, uncaring demonic criminal with no morals about sending men and women into harms way it is quite likely that said newspaper will be on the sharp end of pretty intense litigation.

Originally Posted by Patent Attorney

Blair was a liar, toe-rag, uncaring demonic criminal with no morals about sending men and women into harms way .(QUOTE]

OK I won't tell.

Originally Posted by anotherlimey

I guess that's the other side of the coin, you either have corrupt officials in power, or you risk ruining the reputation of innocent officials.

However, I believe it's not the job of a news organisation to expose corrupt officials, that should be someone elses job, it's the news orgs job to report on it.

-tom

Originally Posted by Patent Attorney

That had me laughing! Good on you Tony126! Not related to "the" Tony I trust!