Saturday, February 21, 2015

Who's Watching Out for Our Rights? Legacy vs. Online Coverage of the IRS Scandal

Who's Watching Out for Our Rights? Legacy vs. Online Coverage of the IRS Scandal - Franklin Center Franklin Center:
Let’s open with a quick quiz:
What news organizations first come to mind as the protectors of fundamental freedoms — 1st and 4th Amendment rights like speech, assembly, religion, privacy — against brazen government overreach and abuse of the little guy?
Did you answer The New York TimesThe Washington Post, or maybe even an established TV news station?
If so, you’ll have problems with this next question: What 2013 scandal was one of the most egregious cases of governmental trampling of 1st Amendment-protected rights in recent years?
If you only rely on legacy news for your news, you’re not likely to know the answer: The IRS’ obstruction of hundreds of Tea Party applications for nonprofit status — an abuse that first came to light in May 2013 when the then-director of the IRS office in charge of these applications publicly apologized for the practice.
But you aren’t really at fault, not if you’re a legacy news-only reader.
When it came to reporting one of the most horrendous cases of government overreach and abuse in recent years, legacy news organizations looked the other way. Worse, they bought into the government’s excuses for such harassment – hook, line, and sinker.

An Egregious Case of Government Bullying

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