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Obama passes bill that bans publishing killers’ names?
I thought I read the headline wrong. Obama did something I partially agree with? Well after, looking more carefully at the spore in the trail, he, and the media, once again disappoint me.
I’ve avoided saying or writing the names of suspects involved in mass shootings my entire life. Criminals should never be given the same treatment as heroes in any way. Terrorists, kooks, cranks and crazies don’t need their name or photo reiterated in every newspaper article from every publication across the nation. Theirs’ is a legacy that society does itself great harm in fostering.
The two losers in the Columbine massacre will forever be remembered by their names and faces, however most people strain to recall the events of the heroic teacher who saved many lives that day. Many of us will unsuccessfully try to recall his name too.
So, what I thought Obama did recently, according to a news account I read, I agreed with… in spirit anyway. Killers’ names should not be mentioned in the press.
On the whole, I completely and totally disagree with the current president. A Constitutional lawyer, one would think he supports our Constitution but from all the deceptive practices I’ve witnessed his administration do these past years—and at least one that was shot down by the US Supreme Court as unconstitutional—I really can’t stand him as my president.
Likewise, I would never approve of such a measure as detailed in the article: Making a law that restricts the freedom of the press by mandating that they cannot use a person’s name is unconstitutional. It’s not practical either. The court of last resort would surely strike down such a law.
Well, if you haven’t guessed it by now the story is a hoax perpetrated by a sneaky breed of troll journalist we all need to be aware of in 2015. Snopes.com debunked the report recently, stating that such a law or mandate by the president barring the press from mentioning a mass shooting suspect’s name is absolutely false. They report:
“In order to spread their fake stories to a wider audience, NewsExaminer.net also publishes them on the domain NBC.com.co, which is in no way affiliated with NBC News.”
NewsExaminer and NBC.com.co are both fake news outlets that, rather insidiously, do not announce themselves as such like The Onion or Guns.com on April Fool’s day. To the casual reader, their names and appearances give them an air of credibility and their practice of publishing real news stories alongside fake reports about McDonald’s employing robots in place of humans and the world’s first head transplant, further clouds their true intentions (and routinely fools search engine news algorithms and other media outlets looking for scoops). This group’s intent is apparently to disseminate false information to readers as convincingly as possible while hiding behind the the anonymity and fact-checking chaos characteristic of web publishing.
If one needed an example of the dangers of unethical reporting, look no further.
Regardless of the bogus story, my feelings on the subject are pretty much the same. First, I do believe the media and press should be encouraged not to mention infamous killers’ names–not mandated. Evil people don’t deserve to have fame, whether they’re still alive or whether they get posthumous plaudits for deeds done in the flesh.
Lastly, I still don’t like Obama. It’s too bad he was ever elected in the first place. The only good thing to come from his presidency is that ammo and gun sales have increased… which has also meant I still can’t find any .22LR ammo.
The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the position of Guns.com.
The post Obama passes bill that bans publishing killers’ names? appeared first on Guns.com.
Source: http://www.guns.com/2015/10/14/obama-passes-bill-that-bans-publishing-killers-names/
