Trump's latest promise: Weaken the 1st Amendment

[Dave70968]

Let me just premise this with clarifying that I don't support Trump. But I also find it interesting that the media can wield the first amendment as a weapon too. They can completely destroy a person's reputation and credibility with no actual evidence of anything, simply by showing the person's association or accusations. "They" aren't actually doing anything, it's the reaction of the people that is actually doing it. But it's still a little scary to think about sometimes. Someone accuses you of something, media frenzy catches hold, and before you can even go to trial, you will already be treated like you are guilty by society. It's almost a guarantee these days.

While you're not wrong in that the media can make your life difficult, there's a bit of a difference between that and securing a judgment in court. Courts fundamentally rely upon the authority of the state (that is, the use of force). You can ignore the nasty reporter, but if the Court says show you, you'd best show up, lest you be jailed in contempt (even in civil cases). And if you don't show up, the other side will get a default judgment, which he can use to have the government (again, backed by force), take your stuff.

A little bit more serious there.

 

[Larry Morgan]

While you're not wrong in that the media can make your life difficult, there's a bit of a difference between that and securing a judgment in court. Courts fundamentally rely upon the authority of the state (that is, the use of force). You can ignore the nasty reporter, but if the Court says show you, you'd best show up, lest you be jailed in contempt (even in civil cases). And if you don't show up, the other side will get a default judgment, which he can use to have the government (again, backed by force), take your stuff.

A little bit more serious there.

I don't disagree with you there. I would definitely say what you are describing is more along the lines of "abuse".