Elections

 I am currently having a debate with myself about how (or why) to vote in our local primary elections. I have not seen any clear policy or performance statements from any of the candidates.

The campaign ads that show up in the mail or on the media are useless, being full of obvious lies and distortions of opponents' positions and records. I'm thinking there is an opportunity here.

After the uproar about lies and disinformation in the online media the companies owning the websites set some standards and identified or banned ads and posts containing clear lies and distortions. It seems to me the print and TV outlets should be similarly accountable. I realize that presents a challenge to existing business models, but surely the public good has to trump profits when democracy is at risk. 

One possibility to offset lost ad income would be tax-supported subsidies for real debates and statements of policy and performance in media outlets which adhered to some standards, much as the League of Women Voters have done for years. Perhaps there is a role for the Federal Communications Commission in this regard.

In fact, the FCC does already have fairness standards, so no really new authority may be needed.  The restrictions which online media put on lies and disinformation have been tested in courts and the verdict is that such actions are not violations of First Amendment free speech restrictions because the online companies are private entities, as are the print and TV companies. The newspapers, networks and TV companies will try to invoke the idea that they are journalistic enterprises, but that is a distinction without a difference these days.

Of course the underlying problem is that the Supremes decided corporations have the same rights as citizens and somehow that means they are free to buy politicians. Undoing all that would be a big leap forward for democracy, but I'm not holding my breath for it to happen.

(A recent Supreme Court decision addresses some of the issues, but it probably isn't the last word.)