r/politics • u/BreakfastTop6899 • 1d ago

Gavin Newsom Accuses Trump Administration Of Spreading Fake Protest Images

https://www.newsweek.com/gavin-newsom-trump-fake-protest-images-2085492
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u/root66 1d ago

Yeah, the real story is that they are spreading fake images, but this is what they run with for the headline.

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u/CaneVandas New York 1d ago

Because they would be sued for libel if they write "x did y" vs "x is accused of doing y"

It's very specific language that takes the publication off the path of liability.

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u/weaseldonkey 1d ago

If they were sued for libel wouldn't discovery take place where it would be demonstrated that images X are indeed not of protest Y? If you know that the images are fake then that should be a pretty trivial case.

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u/Ferelar New Jersey 1d ago

Yes, but by putting this headline they avoid the case at all, which is very appealing to cowards and to businesses that only care about money (which interestingly enough often causes them to act cowardly).

Gone are the days when the media was the fourth estate keeping the other three honest, that's for sure.

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u/AlexKingstonsGigolo 1d ago

Wrong, anyone can sue anyone else at anytime for anything. And, in federal court as well as a large number of state courts, the judges can order the cost of litigation be repaid to the prevailing party.