The deliberate dissemination of false statements to the general public for the purpose of personal or corporate political or financial gain should carry felony charges.
Why is this important?
For years I have watched as individuals and organizations have fabricated or intentionally twisted facts, disseminating the disinformation on public media outlets to further their political or personal gain. Often this disinformation is broadcast or published without any fact checking. If our democracy requires an informed public and informed voters then there can be no greater offense than deliberately misinforming the public.
Certainly there is no end to this unless such action are criminalized. From newscasts to printed media to campaign ads; knowingly lying to the public is just wrong.
