• Funderpants @lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    181
    arrow-down
    4
    ·
    4 months ago

    So, just to be certain, when USA today keeps giving Trump the benefit of the doubt and uses words in this article like, riot, and alleged role, they’re carrying water for him right? The man has been found to have had a role andtaken part in an insurrection in multiple cases now. They should just say it.

    • Stovetop@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      54
      arrow-down
      6
      ·
      edit-2
      4 months ago

      Man is guilty as sin but just to play devil’s advocate for the press: they are subject to libel laws and cannot make definitive statements of guilt/non guilt or else risk being sued.

      So on the one hand it’s dumb that they aren’t telling it like it is but on the other hand I sympathize that they don’t want to put their finances on the line to pay the Donald Trump legal fund if he decides to sue.

        • Stovetop@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          7
          arrow-down
          3
          ·
          4 months ago

          To my knowledge he hasn’t been found guilty in trial court yet, has he? Courts keep kicking the can down the road because the US justice system is a sham. If he was found guilty already, he’d be behind bars.

          Basically, there are differences between the recommendations of investigation committees, eligibility to run for office, and a conviction. Just because some determination was made by a court or by a legal body doesn’t necessarily mean he was found guilty of the crime. Not yet at least.

          • Funderpants @lemmy.ca
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            11
            ·
            edit-2
            4 months ago

            Colorado trial and supreme Court found that he has “engaged in” an insurrection. I’ve got a link to the Supreme Court opinion in this thread.

        • Schadrach@lemmy.sdf.org
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          4
          arrow-down
          4
          ·
          4 months ago

          They can definitively state that he was found guilty for his hand in the insurrection, as per the multiple cases. There’s no room for libel there, it’s a fact. He was found guilty.

          Did I miss a case? AFAIK, to date he hasn’t been found guilty of anything because that would imply he’s been through a criminal trial to completion and we should be talking about his sentencing.

          To the best of my knowledge he’s been found liable in a couple of civil cases and owes a buttload of damages as a consequence, but still hasn’t been found guilty of any crime, yet.

      • AlternatePersonMan@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        21
        ·
        4 months ago

        You would think journalism would be subject to libel laws, but after seeing Fox and company blast lies for decades, I don’t have that confidence.

        Yes, Fox finally got hit with one major lawsuit for one massive lie, but given all the lies they’ve run, it shows how far past the line you need to go.

        • kautau@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          14
          ·
          edit-2
          4 months ago

          And only because they lied about a massive corporation who then turned around and sued them. Not everyone they lie about has a legal team on retainer ready to defend them. In this case, Trump can’t find lawyers willing to defend him at this point, but Fox News would never paint Trump in a bad light, it would alienate their viewer base

      • Funderpants @lemmy.ca
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        4 months ago

        Yes and I would agree if he were before the court for the first time, but multiple judges have already made a determination in those things.

    • Schadrach@lemmy.sdf.org
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      34
      arrow-down
      9
      ·
      4 months ago

      alleged role,

      Until he’s been criminally convicted for it, it’s “alleged” in order to avoid defamation and libel cases.

      • Funderpants @lemmy.ca
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        25
        ·
        4 months ago

        He was found by a trial and state supreme Court to have engaged in an insurrection. It’s not alleged.

        • Schadrach@lemmy.sdf.org
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          5
          arrow-down
          4
          ·
          4 months ago

          He was found by a trial and state supreme Court to have engaged in an insurrection. It’s not alleged.

          If you want to be safe from libel and defamation cases, it’s “alleged” until you’ve been found guilty/liable at trial, and that hasn’t happened to Trump yet.

          • Funderpants @lemmy.ca
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            9
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            edit-2
            4 months ago

            I don’t think that’s true. The Colorado state supreme Court says he engaged in an insurrection. Truth is a defense.

            • kava@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              4
              arrow-down
              4
              ·
              edit-2
              4 months ago

              The Colorado state supreme Court says he engaged in an insurrection. Truth is a defense

              The truth is up to interpretation. You can say what you believe to be the truth, but somebody with a lot of money and access to experienced lawyers can cripple you with a lawsuit regardless.

              Do you really want to engage in a trial that could theoretically take years? Spending untold sums of money in order to defend yourself? Even if you will probably win, you’re tying up a lot of capital and manpower to fight it. For what? The difference between an article that has the word “alleged” or not?

              The risk-reward just isn’t there.

              • Funderpants @lemmy.ca
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                6
                ·
                4 months ago

                With that logic couldn’t you basically never tell the truth about anyone sufficiently rich and vindictive enough to pursue you in court? Like Trump could be sitting in jail, and we’d still be saying alleged because he might tie you up in court?

                • kava@lemmy.world
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  3
                  ·
                  4 months ago

                  and you just basically described why news organizations prefer to use alleged

                  • Funderpants @lemmy.ca
                    link
                    fedilink
                    arrow-up
                    1
                    ·
                    4 months ago

                    So if Trump is sitting in jail, found criminally guilty in his indictments, USA today would be justified in what, calling him allegedly guilty, in case he feels like bankrupting them with his money? I find this very hard to beleive.

                • Schadrach@lemmy.sdf.org
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  3
                  ·
                  4 months ago

                  You simply refer to it as “alleged” until found guilty/liable when referencing someone doing something criminal or similar.

                  They could also get by with quoting that judges opinion, so long as they made it clear what they are quoting.

                  But a judge presenting an opinion regarding a ballot removal in which the accused was not entitled to a thorough defense and the standard being held was “whatever the judge personally felt best” rather than the more rigorous standards of a criminal trial was probably enough for their legal department to insist on the “alleged”.

    • paddirn@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      11
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      4 months ago

      That’s how these people are taking advantage of our open, democratic system. They’re acting in bad faith, but our system has to play along and treat them “fairly” to avoid giving them any potential out or ammunition for them say they’re being discriminated against or treated improperly. It’s such BS though, we’re having to bend over backwards to treat these people with kid gloves while they run roughshod over our democratic system and they will literally not treat others fairly when they get power. This man and all his enablers in Congress/Scotus need to be in shackles already, they’re a shit stain on history and they’re getting people killed in Ukraine by holding up US aid.