Post for Tony and Caleb's Presentation

I do not believe falsifying stories is a widespread problem in American news media; however, the few journalists who choose to falsify information give the entire industry a bad name. A negative or damaging story on the actions of journalists is much more likely to make national news than a positive story about a hard-working ethical reporter. When a reporter at a highly respected publication or network is caught lying or bending the truth, competitors latch onto the story. This, in turn, raises doubt in the minds of the American public. As the article stated, a majority of Americans already believe journalists can be dishonest and unethical so damaging information is just fuel to the fire. Of course there are reporters who cut corners and don’t research topics as thoroughly as they should, but this can be blamed as much on newsroom cutbacks as the journalists themselves.
A revocable license to practice journalism seems unlikely and unnecessary. To employ such a license, we would have to define who qualifies as a journalist. Would bloggers get a license? What would be the penalty for writing and reporting without a license? There are far too many variables for the idea to actually go into practice. I think such a license would violate out freedom of speech.