Is it illegal for a journalist to knowingly report false information?

[midwest irish]

Can there be charges if the false information is used to influence policy...like, say, start a war?


I am asking because, ya know, Judith Miller

[babylonsister]

1. Unfortunately, no...

http://foxnewsboycott.com/resources/fox-can-lie-lawsuit/

[avaistheone1]

2. No, they can lie.

Court ruled Fox News is entertainment. So they can lie. It is called "business" I presume.

http://www.relfe.com/media_can_legally_lie.html

[Matariki]

3. Wouldn't that be awesome.

[immoderate]

4. No. I vaguely recall a case which involved FOX, a few years ago...

I hope someone can verify this, because as I said, it is vague.

I think someone sued FOX for misinformation (lying) and they were exonerated. Yup.

--imm

[surrealAmerican]

5. It's a serious breach of professional ethics ...

... and they might be sued for libel (if it can be proved to have caused monetary damages), but is not actually illegal.

[truedelphi]

6. Yes, if it contributes to slander and is libelous to begin with.

The Associated Press should have been hit with a law suit around the issue of libel concerning John Froines and his findings of the gas additive MTBE. (This is going back to 1998, 1999.)


Basically, Froines' Blue Ribbon Panel on MTBE found that the substance was ridiculously dangerous, but the AP made up quotes and attributed them to Froines, to state just the opposite! On account of the activities of the Blue Ribbon panel on MTBE, the substance was banned inside the state of California. For his part in this, Governor Davis should have been given a Presidential Medal. Instead he was hounded out of office, with Diane Feinstein helping to set it up so that Big Oil money came in and got us citizens one Ahnold Schwarzenegger as our governor.

But the AP needs to be hammered on regarding their being so loosey goosey with the Truth.

Now today, in light of their dictating the terminology regarding the LGBT crowd and marriage, more than ever.

I think the main reason that Froines never went after the AP is One) he got what he wanted - that is, the ban of the MTBE substance. And Two) it would cost a mere individual a ton of money to go up against the Big Oil Money protecting the AP on this issue.

[SoCalDem]

7. Case agaoinst Fox said it was okeedokee

to make shit up and to lie.. SCOTUS said so