Obama's death panel to kill Sarah Palin's Down Syndrome baby

[The Yosemite Bear]

And yes, Government is considered fair game under libel/slander laws in the US, especially officials running for office, or who are in office.

[Dartzap]

Considering how the libel/slander laws here generally favour whoever has been slandard, the NHS could sue that paper and take 'em to the cleaners. I'm sure a few new MRI machines would be appreciated....

[The Yosemite Bear]

As I've already pointed out political speach is protected against libel/slander in the US?!?

The supreme court ruled such in the 1800s, and in the 1980s papers and television were deregulated so that they no longer had to be objective in their reporting, and could make TV shows that were nothing but ads for a product, or could broadcast nothing but agiprop for their owners political view points.

yes, it's a very sore spot for me, but I don't have any solutions.

[Darth Wong]

And yes, Government is considered fair game under libel/slander laws in the US, especially officials running for office, or who are in office.

Is that actually a law, or is it merely a convention? The fact that news organizations are not required to be objective by law does not necessarily mean that they are actually permitted to engage in outright slander by law.

[Bluewolf]

Frankly part of the problem with all this is that many right wing group's have tried to bring the false image up that Obama is some kind of Communist. This is not true yet they use the whole "socalism=pinko commie" route to try and turn people away from Obama and any real decent reform he has made. I know some online people who have bought into this crap and its quite painful. Obama is not a communist yet they don't listen. They make out that healthcare is on the step down the dark path of socialism.

With that continuing and with the false image of Obama=Stalin; things will be an uphill stuggle.

[The Yosemite Bear]

part law, part convention Mike

The law says political groups can lie, and print what ever they want.
Convention has allowed our newspapers to say outragous things about canidates.
Under Reagan the "Fairness Doctrine" law was disbanded so a Radio, and Television group can present as lopsided of news coverage as they want, with only boycots as a means of getting them to do their jobs.
There's still the FCC, but aside from fining for bad words, and fraction of a second boobage, they aren't doing shit.