Does Paris need to sue Fox News?
Anne Hidalgo the mayor of Paris who wants to sue Fox News.
In case you’re unaware of the furore, recently an ‘expert’ proclaimed on Fox News that there were cities in Europe (Paris, Birmingham and London were specifically mentioned) which are Muslim strongholds into which non-Muslims cannot set foot.
This was clearly nonsense and the British prime minister referred to the buffoon as a ‘complete idiot’.
See more here. (Or the video below).
Largely, the British population took this as a huge joke, simply because the idea was so very preposterous.
France however, specifically Paris, wants to sue.
But here’s a quote from an American ‘media law professor’ : “This is an example of someone from another country not recognising the force of the First Amendment, which allows criticism of governmental entities,” she said, referring to part of the US Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of the media.
Ah.
So people on American television can say exactly what they want because it’s ‘freedom of speech’?
Why is it then, that there are certain words that I just can’t say in the States? Is this why there have been several occasions where mayhem has broken out when people have used the word ‘niggardly’ in perfectly good faith?
We have ‘freedom of speech’ but we can’t use that word which far from being a ‘racial slur’ means ‘miserly’ to anyone who knows the English language?
Is this why I was once reprimanded in a café – by a server – for asking for black coffee? (I should have said ‘without milk’, evidently).
Right. Got it.
Anyone can spout garbage on television and they are protected by law despite the fact that millions of people hear it. But I can’t ask for black coffee in a local Starbucks. Right.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
