Trial by Gossip

   A lie can go around the world before truth can cross the street. -- Pug Mahoney

   No, Mark Twain did not say that. Nor did he say the other version widely attributed to him. But it doesn't matter. What does matter is that politicians often lie, and it's up to the news media to expose them.
   Time was, people spread gossip over back fences or in taverns, where they met and talked only with those who agreed with them. That's still true, but now gossip has gone electronic, so it spreads even faster than early radio commentators could only dream about.
   These days, the spread of gossip and rumor, often false and malicious, is a basic format for some TV network commentators. Moreover, unlike comedians, they won't say that the stories they tell are just that -- stories, intended to prompt laughter. Instead, they insist the stories are true, and they attack anyone who exposes the lie.
   The difference between a lie and a tall story told by a comedian is intent. A comedian wants to provoke laughter. Sadly, the intent of some TV and internet writers is to provoke an overthrow of the federal government, even if it takes violence to do it.
   And by definition, urging the violent overthrow of government is treason.