Outside of extreme cases of malicious libel, the freedom of the press is inviolate.
However, the fragmentation of our media is a growing problem. Different communities are receiving their news exclusively through different channels, resulting in world views with differing “facts” that rarely overlap. We can’t decide on shared values if we don’t agree on basic facts; we can’t find shared solutions if we don’t even agree what the problems are.
The government should not meddle with the free press. But the government should support the major media and technology companies in finding solutions to the issues. After the Russian influence campaign affected the 2016 election, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media companies have started to investigate ways to mitigate these issues. The government should be supporting them in any way they deem appropriate.
Problems to be Solved
- checkMedia fragmentation has left America split on basic “facts”, which is making any discussion of important issues fruitless.
- It’s hard to come together on solutions when we can’t agree on basic facts. I kind of miss the days of 3 major networks and a few news programs that said the same thing. While we can’t get back there, we need to establish some rules of the road and standards so that our national discourse doesn’t degenerate into a million incoherent news bubbles.
Goals
- checkReunify the press
As President I will...
- Create a Media Responsibility Task Force with leaders of media and tech companies to discuss ways to get Americans agreeing on facts again and removing hostile foreign influence from our discourse.
- Allow this Task Force to operate free from governmental influence - we’ll support them, not direct them.