What we NEED in America is a truly FREE AND UNBIASED press! The MSM today is reminiscent of the Orwellian newspeak of "1984." The LAST thing we need is for Big Brother to control what we read, see, hear, and/or say! And if you quit dumbing down our students and teach them to be analytical and actually think for themselves, they'll be more able to figure out what's fact and what's fiction - without government interference!
As for "alternative facts," hey, there are almost always two sides (at LEAST) to every story! Let people hear all sides, like the jury in a trial, and decide if any of them have merit!
Damned Democommies want to control EVERYTHING! Everything but themselves, that is!
Countable member Matthew C. posted an excellent opinion:
"Government already puts out information it deems "official". For politicians to start giving the impression of "endorsing" facts seems like the establishment circling the wagons. They would be saying, "There is no other point of view than this." Now think about that and how North Korea, China and Russia control their media. This would set a dangerous precedent and a slippery slope to Orwell and double-speak. The reason we have a vibrant political sphere is the free exchange of ideas, no matter how "interesting" they may turn out to be. You should be able to say what you want, without government suppression, as long as you are not calling on direct physical violence to someone/group. Otherwise you are instituting a form of thought control."
Another good opinion comes from Countable member PhillipStearns:
"It doesn't so much need to condemn them as it does combat them. And that apparent from watching Clapper and Yates testify before the Senate subcommittee. Clapper specifically was mentioning his body of knowledge as coming from media reports. But media reports are not always complete or accurate and often times facts, if they are even directly addressed, are presented in a way that distorts the truth. I see this happening on both ends of the political spectrum, from Obama's death panels to rape as a preëxisting condition. We have a media environment so saturated and so dependent on advertising dollars that it is the least independent it has ever been. All sides are taking advantage of the situation and the products are as benign as accidentally repeating minor inaccuracies to presenting warped speculation as factual reporting, to flat out lying about a situation with the intent of not only misleading the public, but to sow doubt as to the existence of any kind of reliable journalism. There is an information war happening within the US on all levels, from government to civil and it must be called out as such. Fake news is code for "it doesn't jibe with my opinion." Opinions have their place: in the op ed section. Today the facts are obscured by our right omissions and replaced with alternative facts. Social media is being used to disseminate both misinformation and disinformation by organized groups of actors. Facebook published a white paper on this, using the term Information Ops. Brannon's pronouncement that the media is the opposition should be taken seriously as a pronouncement of war; a psychological war carried out through the Internet, targeting media organizations, journalists and citizens over social media."