Should American journalists require a state license to do their jobs, a permit that gives them access to the freedom of the press enshrined in the First Amendment to the Constitution?
Senior US Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) seems to think so! He advocates a “media shield law” designed to “protect” journalists from court subpoenas and other actions that might compromise their sources. As Ben Swann points out in the video below, though, that puts the government in a position to control who is a government-accredited journalist – and who is not. Very, very dangerous.
Check out the video at the bottom, but first, a little sound bite on the topic from Neil Boortz:
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/141874399″ params=”color=ff5500″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
“But wait a minute, you say. There’s the First Amendment, there’s freedom of press. The United States government doesn’t license journalists.”“Well, think about this most Americans get their news from radio, t.v.; they get their news from entities licensed by the government, but let’s get to the journalists.”
“Chuck Schumer wants the government to, in effect, accredit or license journalists. Chuckie says the licensed journalist or the accredited journalist would get exemption from subpoenas and other legal requirements that may expose their confidential sources.”
“Do you want the government deciding which journalists are covered by this law and which are not?”
Source: Rare
Photo: Greg Hauenstein on Flickr
This ill considered and ill advised piece of legislative detritus should not see the light of day in either the Senate or the House. Any president who would sign such a bill into law quite obviously has aspirations to rise to dictator status. This WILL NOT be tolerated by the American people. If there is one freedom that we prize it is that of a free press, unencumbered by the yoke of government regulation. If that ongoing criminal enterprise in Washington, D. C. wishes to precipitate a Second American Revolution the unprincipled thugs in our Congress need take but two actions: [1] Attempt to censor or gag the press. [2] Attempt to create for themselves a monopoly on armed force by passing more and progressively more restrictive “common sense gun control laws.” If our central government ever should unwisely attempt these actions it will likely precipitate a bloodbath of monumental proportions.
That worked well in the USSR.
Whoa…..traitor!!!!
Schmucky Chucky, also envisions renaming the Media what it actually is – THE MINISTRY OF PROPAGANDA.
Suck it Schumer.
Fire
hes as crazy as reid
doesn’t sound like freedom to me
$#%&!@* Chuck he needs to be a target for population control.
One of 80 communist in congress. My, My you dumb ass liberal.