Sue the Media for advanced calls!!

I

Ironbarr

New member
Seems to me that the people of the US and particularly of Florida have a perfect case for a class action suit against the corporate entities of the media for this fiasco. Not just the company feeding the broadcasters, but everyone in sight in media circles who used the data without objective analysis - all in the name of the competitive urge (or corporate requirement) to "be first to report".

Maybe if these clowns got slapped good they'd take a long hard look at everything they are doing (not just election calls).

What say you?
 
I say millions of people (including me) WANTED early results. We wanted the excitement of seeing the game play out, rather than just the final score. The news outlets did what their viewers/listeners wanted. The news outlets also acted on their 1st Amendment rights of free speech, reporting the political news as they heard it; to boot, they made it clear that the information was tenative, even when "calling" a state. If listeners/viewers chose to act on incomplete information, that's their right - even if it's stupid and results in a near-tie.

You have the right to keep and bear arms.
Reporters have the right to report breaking news (which is usually incomplete).
 
CTDONATH is correct. The First Amend., is just as important as the Second, and the Third, and the Fourth..... etc.

I don't like the lying, pap dispensing, communistnazi media propaganda meisters, either.... but I dislike govt censorship even more.

FWIW. J.B.
 
I disagree with the last two posts, it's not an issue of the first amendment. It is an issue of accountability and accuracy. The media needs to he held to a much higher standard of accuracy. (On second thought, they need to be held to A [emphasis A] standard of accuracy, there is NONE currently in existance.)

Good Post Ironbarr!
 
While I'm not sure I agree with suing the media, I don't agree that freedom of speech would be a defense against such a lawsuit.

You can sue anyone for anything.

I don't think there's any constitutional protection from private civil suits. If I say something that causes damages, even if I have a first amendment right to say it, that doesn't change the fact that I've caused damages and now owe the damaged for same.
 
Rights are only protected until they begin to infringe on the rights of others. Hence the example of yelling 'Fire' in a theater as not being protected speech. Might just fly.
 
Hell with suing them. I say we treat them the same way we did the Iraqi media during the gulf war!

First night of the war Jan 16, 91 my primary targets were a radio station and transmitter situated just south of Baghdad in a town called Salman Pak.

Two Mk-82’s later problem was solved…:D

Fast Eagle
 
suing them might work, but so will writing letters to all of them stating plainly why you will no longer watch.follow this with letters to advertisers complaining of their support and promising to boycott their products.
 
Time for some new election laws.

Time for a new election law passed by the several
states making it illegal for any network or news information agency to "call any election" before
the polls close in that state so that voters who
have an hour or two left to vote in that state
will not be discuraged from voting by having
their state "called" or "lost" the opposition
before they have voted.

This results in "Oh well, no sense in my voting
for Bush now. Florida was just "lost" to Gore.
I might as well get out of the voting line and
go home.

The premature and early and in error "call" of
Florida for Gore has been estimated to cost
Bush 10,000 votes in the Florida panhandle
which is in the central time zone. The call
of Fla for Gore came at 8pm est or 7pm cst
while the polls in northwestern florida were
still open for yet another hour.

TO BE MORE CORRECT AND PROPER ABOUT THIS CONCEPT,
the tv media should be prevented , by FEDERAL ELECTION
LAW , from calling any state until ALL POLLS
NATIONWIDE HAVE CLOSED.

In order to prevent the several medias from unduly
influencing election voters,
all medias could do calls one hour after polls have
closed, but only for that time zone.

Therefore EST would get only local reports at 9pm est.
ctz would not get reports until 9pm cst which is 10pm est

The west cost would be blacked out from election
night calls until one hour after the west coast polls
had closed ,9pm pst.

This would be fair and prevent media calls from
influencing future elections.

So what if it is a little inconvient for some
people, it is better than the court battles
and indecission that we are currently
enduring.

ALSO, THE PUNCH CARD VOTERMATIC TYPE OF VOTING MACHINES SHOULD BE OUTLAWED and replaced at FEDERAL EXPENSE
WITH COMPUTERIZED VOTING MACHINES so that there can be no hanging,limp dangling pregnat chads to be dealt with ever again.

I am not sugesting internet voting yet because that can
still be hacked into,but a closed system computer voting
machine at the polls could be made to be both politian
"CHEAT PROOF" and voter "FOOL PROOF".

THE DEBICLE CURRENTLY OCCURING IN FLORIDA AND WASHINGTON
underscores the need for both NEW COMPUTER TYPE VOTING
MACHINES AND NEW ELECTION LAWS so that " gore chad cheating"
can be stopped once and for all.
 
I understand that there is another interesting facet to this discussion. I've heard that there is good evidence that the media not only called states early, but they did so with a distinct Gore bias.

I understand that if a state was barely in the Gore column, the Voter News Service and mainstream media would call that state for Gore. On the other hand, for those states that were solidly pro-Bush, VNS and their media partners were much more sluggish in calling those states for Bush.

I don't want to see any government censorship of the media, but ... I'm not too keen on mainstream media that seem committed to distorted news so they can boost their buddies.

Regards from AZ
 
If we should now sue people because we listened to their opinions then I'm gonna sue my stock broker back to the stone age!

Anyone who turned their car around and went home because the media reported that their presidential candidate probably lost is just as big of an idiot as those who claim they couldn't understand the "butterfly" ballot. They also did a tremendous disservice to their other 30 or so candidates on the ballot. They should be ashamed of themselves.

So now we're all upset and so we make suggestions such as violating States Rights (federalizing election standards), trimming the First Amendment rights of the media (which includes you and me), forbidding certain forms of public opinion and, once again, legislating through litigation. Sounds more like a Million Mommy approach than the beliefs of people who should feel that freedom is paramount even if there is occasional cost. I'm sorry but that kind of talk makes my feet itch. We merely had a glitch in a system that has otherwise worked pretty damn well for a long time now and will probably continue to do so. Even a Glock can stovepipe every once in a great while.

By the way, all of the networks "called" Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming for Bush with 0% of the precincts reporting. Bad reporting or educated guess? I suppose any idiot could've called that one :).
 
I think ctdonath and JJR have it.

Chock this up to life experience and let's move on.

Then again, Fast Eagle's plan has merit too... ;)
 
Keep careful tract of the news shows sponsors. Institute a very large campaign to severely bite the news networks bottom lines. This just might convince them to not mention anything about the votes until all the polls are closed. What they prognosticate about after the polls close is their own business. If their wrong they just look silly but they don't affect any other part of the country.
 
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