Several years ago, there arose a dispute between a couple of investigative reporters and the Fox News Affiliate they worked for. It was a story about bovine growth hormone and it's human health safety in milk. Eventually the reporters were fired, they sued in civil court for being wrongfully fired, and won.
Then NEW WORLD COMMUNICATIONS OF TAMPA, INC., d/b/a WTVT-TV appealed the decision, essentially saying they had the right to mislead and lie, and to require their employees to do so. The Appeals Court agreed.
Because the FCC's news distortion policy is not a “law, rule, or regulation” under section 448.102, Akre has failed to state a claim under the whistle-blower's statute. Accordingly, we reverse the judgment in her favor and remand for entry of a judgment in favor of WTVT.
Watch Jane and her husband explain it them selves in this clip from the documentary The Corporation.
As Akre noted after the verdict, "the `threshold issue' the court wrote ---
and all it ruled upon --- was whether the technical qualifications for a
whistleblower claim were ever met by me. In Florida, to file such a claim,
the employer misconduct must be a violation of an adopted law, rule or
regulation. FOX argued from the first --- and repeatedly failed in front of
three different judges --- to have the case tossed out on the grounds there
is no hard, fast, and written rule against deliberate distortion of the
news.
whistleblower claim were ever met by me. In Florida, to file such a claim,
the employer misconduct must be a violation of an adopted law, rule or
regulation. FOX argued from the first --- and repeatedly failed in front of
three different judges --- to have the case tossed out on the grounds there
is no hard, fast, and written rule against deliberate distortion of the
news.
"In essence," she adds, " the news organization owned by media baron Rupert
Murdoch, argued the First Amendment gives broadcasters the right to even lie
or deliberately distort news reports on the public airwaves."
News Corp, Rupert Murdoch, Roger Ailes, and Fox News all have a long habit and history of playing fast and loose with the truth. I am including the link to an edited version of Robert Greenwald's glaring expose' of this gang in his documentary OUTFOXED - Rupert Murdoch's War On Journalism. Though edited, this video details their long history of intentional slant, all the way to pure propaganda. It remains consistent with the original intent and scope of the full length documentary.Murdoch, argued the First Amendment gives broadcasters the right to even lie
or deliberately distort news reports on the public airwaves."
In the days of the Soviet Union, they had their State run news organs, Izvestia and Tass. These were pretty much propaganda organs, but they only had limited effect because the people new it was propaganda. Today we here in the USA have a real problem on our hands because most people believe they are hearing the truth, and moreover are inclined to think they aren't being lied to. Both of those ideas are fallacies, and to further the case we will take a look at the latest chapter in the continuing saga of media, and most specifically Fox Media lying and distortion.
Recently the Right-wing Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper attempted to have a law repealed that forbids lying on broadcast news.
Let that sink in, He wanted to repeal a law forbidding lying on broadcast news. Sanity prevailed in Canada. The law was not changed.
But the interesting news angle to this, is that now News Corp/Fox News has been barred entry into the Canadian market with their now dead, "Sun TV News".
Here is a link to a news article written by Robert Kennedy Jr covering this very subject.
Harper loses, and so does Murdoch
Folks there is an equally pernicious aspect to this story, other than News Corps claim to the right to lie, and being barred access to the Canadian market because of it. Think about the fact that the rest of the corporate media isn't telling us about any of this either. Take notice of the fact that this story was covered by Huffington
Post, and documentaries, but the corporate news has no desire to point out to us just how glaringly we are routinely lied to.
That glaring and consistent omission of the truth, by all of the corporate media is propaganda by omission, and we are victims of it routinely. Think about it, News Corp won the case, and confirmed their "legal right" to lie, in 2003 . It is now 2011, and Rupert's "Sun TV News" is barred from the Canadian market because of a ban on lying on the news.
How much of any of this has the corporate news informed us of?
Editors note: Today, March 17th, I saw an article on Crooks and Liars that dovetails quite well with this post, so I decided to add it to this post.
Check out this bit of Fox News bile.
Hannity turns logic on it's head
