The television media is especially guilty because the talking heads will interview a candidate or a surrogate, let them tell a lie and because of the interview time constraints, move on to the next question or because they want a future interview, refrain from antagonizing the liar.
Television also allows the lies to be perpetrated in the name of free speech by selling advertising to all comers.Of course, they have billions of reasons to hide behind free speech.
I am particularly chagrined by the lying taking place during this presidential election cycle because Mitt Romney’s campaign has said they were not going allow fact finders to dictate their strategy. In other words they are free to tell whatever lie they want to and it is up to the public to discern truth.
In the ivory tower of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, that is a perfect manifestation of free speech in action. However, in the real world where you and I live everyday, it is a prescription for stealing an election. When a lie is presented as truth and it goes unchallenged, and you have all the money you need to buy as much advertising as needed to reinforce it, you can make a lie the truth. Inducing people to vote against their own interests based on a lie cannot lead to any kind of positive outcome.
We should at least have honesty and integrity from our information purveyors. Tell us the truth.
