The Media Can Legally Lie
Top 25 of 2005 Apr 29, 2010
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CMW REPORT, Spring 2003
Title: “Court Ruled That Media Can Legally Lie”
Author: Liane Casten

ORGANIC CONSUMER ASSOCIATION, March 7, 2004
Title: “Florida Appeals Court Orders Akre-Wilson Must Pay Trial Costs for $24.3 Billion Fox Television; Couple Warns Journalists of Danger to Free Speech, Whistle Blower Protection”
Author: Al Krebs

Faculty Evaluator: Liz Burch, Ph.D.
Student Researcher: Sara Brunner

In February 2003, a Florida Court of Appeals unanimously agreed with an assertion by FOX News that there is no rule against distorting or falsifying the news in the United States.

Back in December of 1996, Jane Akre and her husband, Steve Wilson, were hired by FOX as a part of the Fox “Investigators” team at WTVT in Tampa Bay, Florida. In 1997 the team began work on a story about bovine growth hormone (BGH), a controversial substance manufactured by Monsanto Corporation. The couple produced a four-part series revealing that there were many health risks related to BGH and that Florida supermarket chains did little to avoid selling milk from cows treated with the hormone, despite assuring customers otherwise.

According to Akre and Wilson, the station was initially very excited about the series. But within a week, Fox executives and their attorneys wanted the reporters to use statements from Monsanto representatives that the reporters knew were false and to make other revisions to the story that were in direct conflict with the facts. Fox editors then tried to force Akre and Wilson to continue to produce the distorted story. When they refused and threatened to report Fox’s actions to the FCC, they were both fired.(Project Censored #12 1997)

Akre and Wilson sued the Fox station and on August 18, 2000, a Florida jury unanimously decided that Akre was wrongfully fired by Fox Television when she refused to broadcast (in the jury’s words) “a false, distorted or slanted story” about the widespread use of BGH in dairy cows. They further maintained that she deserved protection under Florida’s whistle blower law. Akre was awarded a $425,000 settlement. Inexplicably, however, the court decided that Steve Wilson, her partner in the case, was ruled not wronged by the same actions taken by FOX.

because I needed some more info for an argument regarding why Monsanto were evil (the other party knows Faux is evil). And for my argument, this was a goldmine.

The effect of Fox News and talk radio tricking millions of people into voting against their own interest is the REAL election fraud.

believe them, they're just available, and citizens who listen believe the swill.

Are they any attempts to overturn this? Reinvention of "journalism" now imperative.

... matter in regards to Fox News?

we focus on Fox too much.

Because often the rest of the M$M is just as bad. It was the NYTimes and the WaPo and Hardball who were leaders in the War on Gore. What about CNN?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021295174

What about the AP?

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/hfojvt/100

or the AP (although they later edited this article)

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/hfojvt/77

and, of course, the Wall Street Journal

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/hfojvt/81

and all those conservative columnists

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/hfojvt/68