Should the 'Right-Wing' press be banned?

[anotheoldgit]

On AnswerBank, we constantly read insults and criticisms laid firmly at the doors of the 'Right-Wing' press, the Daily Mail especially.

Examples below are taken from a recent thread:

/// Pick up any of the right wing rags at the newsagents ///

/// I will point the finger at papers like the Daily Mail. Their agenda is destructive to the social health of this country. ///

If one is to believe the latter example, then it is more serious than we first thought, and perhaps on this basis alone the paper should be closed down, after all the 'social health of the country' is surely more important than the phone tapping of a few celebrities?

So as to prevent further up-sets on AB, and if we are to believe that anything that is published by these papers is untrue, then perhaps now is the time that all news stories from such sources are banned, and that one should only believe what is written in the 'Left-Wing' publications?

[nannybooby]

Dont get why you have a problem with the Mail , its not that bad ,

[NOX]

No that's just silly- freedom of speech- even very wrong, bad or untruthful speech is more important than ANYTHING.

[mccfluff]

we can't ban them AOG, what would you read then?

and more importantly who would pay my bloody wages

[nannybooby]

Nox , do you beleive all you read? Every paper flavours their rag according to their politics so read more than one paper !

[jackthehat]

Not banned, no..........simply recognised for what it is.

[ichkeria]

Oh, it's tempting :-)
But a tongue-in-cheek assertion I assume ...

One reason that "On AnswerBank, we constantly read insults and criticisms laid firmly at the doors of the 'Right-Wing' press, the Daily Mail especially." is the fact that you are regularly posing nuggets from this esteemed publication in the expectation of a llively response. And it's jolly entertaining and I wouldn't want it to stop!

On the other hand it would we great if we could have a couple of more politically neutral downmarket tabloids at least, with the emphasis on actual news or at least information and balanced opinion.

[Old_Geezer]

Whilst I can have reservations about the power of the press to influence and affect beyond what is reasonable, one can not reasonable contemplate banning a free press. It is one of the hallmarks of a dictatorship. It happens when a poor government wishes to control what is said. No the suggestion is dismissed entirely.

If individuals have issues with one paper then they should go buy a different one.

[Gromit]

If papers print lies then they can be sued, and many are.

The public need to be educated to not believe everything they read and apply some examination of what is presented to them. We daily see on here people upset and angered by a story, and when we examine it, it is one sided, omits vital information and is designed not to inform, but to mislead.

If we all just analysed what we were reading, then we would find that much of it is tosh.

[NOX]

Nanny- I'm very left wing personally and no I don't believe a word of what I read- but to be reasonably even handed I read The Times and The Guardian most days and then sort it all out in my own little head- but it doesn't mean that I think ANYONE should be gagged.

[nannybooby]

nox I'm with you there

[jno]

the phone-tapping of a few celebrities... and teenage murder victims... and the deletion of their messages, giving their parents hope that they are still alive...

[nannybooby]

jno - dont think that that was all the Mail ?

[jd_here]

I too sing off the same hymn sheet as Nox.

If I have the opportunity to buy a daily I have been mightily impressed with the 'I'.

I do however buy the Telegraph on a Saturday, and selectively read the news, skipping the Tory propaganda, and enjoy the Travel, Motoring and Weekend sections.

[pa___ul3]

It was me who made the second comment and I'm not asking for them to be banned, but I do feel they should be held, at least partly, morally accountable for what's happening.
I think any lies or any antagonistic statements that can't be backed up should be punished. I'm not just talking about the DM, as a Liverpool fan I obviously have issues with some things the Sun has printed.
They're intent on scaremongering to the extent that it's far more of a threat to the British society than 99.999% of the Muslims / Immigrants / Single parent families it paints to be the threat.

[Monkeyfun]

"Should The 'Right-Wing' Press Be Banned?"

No.

It's interesting to see how low these tabloids will go and how low their sheep..sorry followers will go and what complete rubbish they will believe and stand up for.

[pa___ul3]

see, Felicia's clearly not a DM reader!!

[Monkeyfun]

What an extremely odd way to try and meet someone?

Hasn't she heard of introduction or dating sites?

[anotheoldgit]

ichkeria

/// with the emphasis on actual news or at least information and balanced opinion. ///

We are not talking such publications as HELLO magazine or such here, the newspapers on the whole print only the 'News' ie what is happening in this country and around the world.

Taking the Daily Mail for instance, it is unfair to say they don't give an 'information and balanced opinion'.

In fact they will give much more information along with photographs than most papers, and as regards 'balanced' they also will not shy away from reporting news even if it contravenes their so called 'Right-Wing' agenda.

The only thing they are guilty of and that being, they will not bow down to the 'political correct brigade', and they go on to publish news that some would rather have swept under the carpet, because of it's sensitive content.

[pa___ul3]

well they've clearly worked their magic on you Mr AOG! The deliberate ommission of key facts in order to strengthen their desired slant on a story is a point you forgot to mention.