"Never pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel."
Back in the day, that warning applied to editors and publishers of print media. Today, it adds broadcasting to the list.
Donald Trump once threatened to take away the broadcast license of any TV network that criticized him.
Problem: TV networks, especially cable affiliated units, don't have broadcast licenses. Why? Because they don't broadcast. Cable transmission is not broadcasting.
Secondly, shutting down a news operation for its negative reports violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Perhaps a president could get around that by claiming the Constitution specifies that Congress "shall make no law abridging freedom of the press."
That means it does not apply to a President, they insist. However, that implies that a President is a firm ruler who dictates who can do what.
Note the term "dictate."
An extreme warning? Yes, but the last time we had a ruler bent on dictating who can do what, the consequence was a rebellion.
The year was 1776.
Back in the day, that warning applied to editors and publishers of print media. Today, it adds broadcasting to the list.
Donald Trump once threatened to take away the broadcast license of any TV network that criticized him.
Problem: TV networks, especially cable affiliated units, don't have broadcast licenses. Why? Because they don't broadcast. Cable transmission is not broadcasting.
Secondly, shutting down a news operation for its negative reports violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Perhaps a president could get around that by claiming the Constitution specifies that Congress "shall make no law abridging freedom of the press."
That means it does not apply to a President, they insist. However, that implies that a President is a firm ruler who dictates who can do what.
Note the term "dictate."
An extreme warning? Yes, but the last time we had a ruler bent on dictating who can do what, the consequence was a rebellion.
The year was 1776.
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