Journalistic Competence

The good stories write themselves.

   Journalists have an obligation to follow the classic rule of the Five W's -- Who, What, Where, When and Why, plus How. There is also a temptation to track the juiciest stories and the most noisy characters, because they're easier to cover.
   In that sense many reporters are lazy, and smart politicians and corporate executives, among others, manipulate the media to generate publicity for their cause or candidacy. It beats spending money on advertising.
   
   The Constitution guarantees a free press. It does not guarantee a fair press, nor does it guarantee a competent press. There are no government-issued licenses for reporters and writers, nor should there be. When government authorizes a license for journalists, it can also take away that license. When government issues a license to operate a printing press, it can also cancel that license. And when that happens, the press is no longer free. 
   Moreover, this freedom applies not only to newspaper publishers, but also to book and magazine publishers, newsletter writers, and to any who vent their opinions and distribute them, whether via hard-copy printers or electronic means.
   Certainly there is good reason to license and control many things, including broadcasting, to avoid competitors operating on the same frequency; or medical licenses, to ensure competency; or real estate sales licenses; or licenses for operating machinery of various kinds, including automobiles, trucks, trains, construction equipment, and airplanes. And when operators prove themselves incompetent, their licenses can and should be taken away.
   Gathering and disseminating information by news media, however, is entirely different, because licensing those who do it means controlling them and censoring what they do.
   At the same time, there is such a thing as false advertising, which is actionable.
   Finally, media types have a moral obligation to be fair and accurate. And except for libel, there is no legal obligation to be either. Opinions and comments, especially about public figures, often cross into territory that would otherwise be libelous when printed about so-called ordinary citizens who are not in the public eye. 
   Political candidates, in the heat of a campaign, utter half-truths, falsehoods and flat-out lies almost every day, and the news media dutifully print their rantings, as well as responses from opponents and clarifications from fact-checkers.
   All in all, it's a messy system, but it's better than government licensing and control of information.

"Congress shall make no law abridging freedom of the press." -- U.S. Constitution, First Amendment