Palin Fears Media Threaten Her First Amendment Rights

ABC ^ | 10/31/08

[steve-b]

ABC News' Steven Portnoy reports: In a conservative radio interview that aired in Washington, D.C. Friday morning, Republican vice presidential nominee Gov. Sarah Palin said she fears her First Amendment rights may be threatened by "attacks" from reporters who suggest she is engaging in a negative campaign against Barack Obama.

Palin told WMAL-AM that her criticism of Obama's associations, like those with 1960s radical Bill Ayers and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, should not be considered negative attacks. Rather, for reporters or columnists to suggest that it is going negative may constitute an attack that threatens a candidate's free speech rights under the Constitution, Palin said.

"If [the media] convince enough voters that that is negative campaigning, for me to call Barack Obama out on his associations," Palin told host Chris Plante, "then I don't know what the future of our country would be in terms of First Amendment rights and our ability to ask questions without fear of attacks by the mainstream media."...

[petitfour]

Tell that to Joe the Plumber who was attacked for asking a question. The media, in conjunction with the Government, went after him full force. This is what Sarah Palin is talking about.

The media is not above using The People’s resources to attack people who dissent.

[mrsmith]

"ability to ask questions without fear of attacks by the mainstream media"

Joe's question got him attacks by the media that included confidential information in government files that the media procured from government employees.

But I concede your point that 1st Amendment issues only arise when government is involved- such as it is in regulating broadcasting.

The First Amendment doesn't guarantee free public discussion, it can only block the government from banning it.

[FFranco]

Governor Palin is right. The media is using their great power to suppress her free speech rights, which is a violation of the First Amendment. She should be applauded for pointing out the illegal and unconstitutional behavior of the liberal media. Once we get a true conservative government in power, we need to pass laws to rein in the liberal media and end these kind of illegal activities.

[calex59]

I am sure Mrs. Palin understands the constitution very well, she has already demonstrated that as a matter of fact. She was talking figuratively not literally. We are free to say whatever we want in this country, to a point, but if the news media attacks political candidates whenever they point out facts and call them “negative” attacks as if they were lies, then the press is stifling free speech. Have you ever heard of a civil rights violation? All these attacks by the press on Palin, including some that involved criminal activity in gathering infomation, are civil rights violations. Period.

[calex59]

It is also a major violation of first amendment rights to have Bozo give the MSM their talking points and order them to try and stifle and shut down political opponents, including Sarah. Besides you guys didn’t read what she said. She never said the paper messed with her first amendment rights, she said that she didn’t know where the country was headed in terms of first amendment rights if this trend kept up. Meaning that Bozo is probably behind the attacks, and will be even worse if he is elected, using the press to silence all his enemies the way Castro, Stalin and other well know communist have done.

[Borges]

The First Amendment restricts the goverment not private enterprises like newspapers and TV stations.

[Operation_Shock_N_Awe]

7. Children post-conception, post-birth, organisms, of homo-sapien origin, that have reached "personhood" are not property but precitizens and must be educated, and re-educated as needed, by the state in the duties and responsiblities required of them, furthermore they shall not be held accountable for their actions, inactions, or heinous crimes, nor treated as adults until 25 years after attaining personhood.

8. Personhood/citizenship shall be attained after completing indoctrination into the People's Democratic Party and enrolling in two or more social programs.

FIXED IT

Don't want to infringe on a woman's right to chose, or undermind Roe v. Wade