In my previous blog post, I pointed out how our very democracy is threatened by the constant barrage of fake news. The Right-Wing Media Cult which generates such fake news goes unchecked, free to do or say whatever it takes to stoke anger, fear, and with them, higher network ratings.

So long as the news remains for-profit, it will forever try to sensationalize, electrify, horrify, or in any other way manufacture outrage. Because that's what sells newspapers. That's what drives up ad revenue.

So, given that freedom of speech is an absolute (as well it should be), how do we fight it?

Here's my proposal, and it's so crazy it just might work.

We go to the Republicans and say, "How would you like to stop liberal media bias?"

And of course, they will say, "Hell, yeah! What can I do?"

Then we sell them a bill which essentially says this: Media which labels itself as "news" must only report factual events. False reporting, opinionating, or disguising op ed or advertisement as news is punishable by fine.

Notice how this does not infringe upon free speech. Any "infotainment" outlet, such as Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, or Rachel Maddow, can continue to say whatever they want, as often as they want, so long as they do so on a non-news platform. They must move to an entertainment platform - where they fucking belong.

The territory known as "news" becomes hallowed ground. As it should always be.

This not only drives the opinionating out of the news, it re-establishes the "separation of church and state" that used to exist regarding advertisement and news items. "Native advertising" becomes a thing of the past. (Thank fuck!)

It is analogous to another law, already on the books, regarding food items. If someone sells a food item, and its contents are not what is described on the list of ingredients, that manufacturer is liable. It is illegal to sell "gluten free" when it contains gluten, or "pesticide-free" if it contains pesticides. By the same token, something cannot call itself "news" if it contains opinion instead.

We have the right to know that what goes into our bodies is safe, according to current law. By the same token, we also have a right to know that what goes into our minds is safe as well.

And arguably, our minds are more important.

Of course, if the label says, "contains MSG" and a consumer buys it anyway, that's on them. By the same token, some will continue to consume fake news anyway, just like some people buy the Lucky Charms which is nothing but marshmallows. It might be bad for you, but that's your choice. You just can't pretend it isn't bad for you. You can't pretend you're eating healthy.

You can't pretend you are an informed citizen after watching Tucker Carlson, either.

Will Republicans buy it? They just might. Or, they might smell the trap. But even if they don't trust the proposal, the Right-Wing Media Cult will probably take the bait, especially if Democrats sell it well with a well-executed AstroTurf campaign. (Granted, Dems don't have a good track record of doing this, but with our entire democracy on the line, they'd better!) With the masses of Trumpsters firmly behind it, Republicans will have no choice but to capitulate like the cowards they have proven themselves to be over these last several years.

It will undoubtedly come as a surprise to them when Fox News and OANN get smacked down by this new law far more than CNN and MSNBC do. But... them's the breaks, right?

And I wish Rachel Maddow the best of luck on MTV. I wish Tucker Carlson the best of luck on TBN (or whatever luckless network gets stuck with him). He will undoubtedly retain his following. But not on a news network, which makes all the difference in the world, because Tucker Carlson is not a journalist. He hasn't been for some time.

Besides, if I had to lose Rachel Maddow in order to get rid of Tucker Carlson, I'd take that deal in a heartbeat!

Eric

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