Posted on 02/27/2016 10:02:24 AM PST by dschapin
Donald Trump said on Friday he plans to change libel laws in the United States so that he can have an easier time suing news organizations.
During a rally in Fort Worth, Texas, Trump began his usual tirade against newspapers such as The New York Times and The Washington Post, saying they're "losing money" and are "dishonest." The Republican presidential candidate then took a different turn, suggesting that when he's president they'll "have problems."
"One of the things I'm going to do if I win, and I hope we do and we're certainly leading. I'm going to open up our libel laws so when they write purposely negative and horrible and false articles, we can sue them and win lots of money. We're going to open up those libel laws. So when The New York Times writes a hit piece which is a total disgrace or when The Washington Post, which is there for other reasons, writes a hit piece, we can sue them and win money instead of having no chance of winning because they're totally protected," Trump said.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/blogs/on-media/2016/02/donald-trump-libel-laws-219866#ixzz41OOQy1Ch
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
I think it’s great you haven’t been beating your wife, even though the claims of adultery against you were never proven.
So long Second Amendment!
Wow, the ignorance on this thread is totally unbecoming to FR.
Slander and libel are NOT protected by the 1st amendment, there are civil actions that can and are adjudicated ALL of the time.
The hatred here is so thick no one can even think any more.
You would gut the constitution to attack your enemies. However, this will leave us no protection if democrats get hold of the reigns of power or if Trump turns out to the be autocrat that I think he is proving himself to be and not the savior that many Trump supporters think he is. I am not willing to destroy our freedoms to support any man.
I don’t think, in the end, Donald is going to change anything about existing libel law.
However he has managed to mirror a large chunk of public sentiment about how the MSM has used that privilege to do really horrible things.
Beg us. Beg us. Get on your knees and beg.
Libel and slander are not free speech.
Maybe you’ll be targeted by the MSM one day and we’ll just tell you they’re practicing their free speech to ruin your reputation.
Rather than “malice,” why not just allow lawsuits for “stupidity” and “lack of due diligence?”
Current law allows media organizations to be sued if they knowingly publish false information with an intent to cause harm. If this protection is taken away then you will radically chill free speech.
He's going to do that same thing Cruz would do to abolish the IRS.
Trump wants to OPEN UP the libel laws to include what he thinks are “negative” articles. If that doesn’t send a chill up your spine, I don’t know what will.
You don't understand. Only the nasty and lying and loser publications would be quashed.
The great and fabulous and wonderful people would left alone.
Like the left wing media is not already doing their d@mnedest to do this already. We are never to have any recourse. They can lie and destroy as they please, with no accountability whatsever in the name of free speech; ultimately destroy this country and our constitution with their “free speech” leaving those destroy voiceless! I am all for the press being as controversial as they like, they just should not be allowed to slander and libel, and destroy the free elections with their lies. You can be controversial without lying. But I am beginning to understand you people, if an idea comes from Donald Trump it is automatically bad. No matter how serious the issue and how much it threatens our republic, if Donald Trump proposes a solution, you are against it. You would rather the left destroy our Republic with lies than provide any recourse against it that is Donald Trump proposes the solution.
I say full speed ahead, Mr. Trump, make those lying tasbards pay for their slanders, their libels, their straining at gnats, all done to destroy this once-great nation, her freedoms, her prosperity, her moral fiber, and even free speech itself!
Free speech is not a privilege. It’s a right.
Being able to lie and slander persons until they are ruined like the MSM does with no accountability is not free speech.
Media organizations can be sued for libel and slander under current law. All you have to do is prove that they knowingly published false information with an intent to do you harm. Trump wants to make it easier to sue so that he can sue anyone that he thinks is unfair to him. In other, words he wants to silence anyone who criticizes him.
We have already seen him threaten Cruz over an add that simply used Trump’s own words. Trump is showing himself to be an autocrat and you all should be scared.
The way you deal with media playing those tricks is to attack their credibility and publish your own media. You fight free speech with more free speech not with the court system.
Under current law the paper could be sued if Trump could prove that it was false and that the paper knew it was false and published it to harm Trump.
Don’t know how to go about it but a tweak to the libel laws that effects the big press which mostly are liberal would be great. They hide a lot behind their BS.
Not everybody gets millions of ears for each news flash, I mean that kind of privilege.
Oh yea, go try to prove damages against a multi - billion dollar corp that has a whole a team roster of $1,000’s/hr lawyers that don’t lose.
Ted Cruz isn’t a media entity.
Your post “Rather than “malice,” why not just allow lawsuits for “stupidity” and “lack of due diligence?””
That is one of the scariest and most ignorant posts I have ever seen on FR. You want someone to be able to sue for stupidity. That is like Soviet Russia where if you disagreed with the state they could simply say that you were insane and have you committed.
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