Obama decries “wild, wild, west” media environment, proposes intervention

Posted by Convention of States Project on October 19, 2016

The third and final presidential debate is taking place tonight on Fox News amid allegations from both sides of the aisle that the media hasn’t done their job properly.

Donald Trump has taken the media to task in the last several weeks, arguing that they haven’t treated him with as much respect as his rival.

President Obama recently followed suit, complaining that today’s “wild, wild, west” media environment creates a broad platform for people who “just make stuff up.” His solution? Intervention.

“There has to be, I think, some sort of way in which we can sort through information that passes some basic truthiness tests and those that we have to discard, because they just don’t have any basis in anything that’s actually happening in the world,” he said.

Whatever one thinks of the media’s actions over the past several months, freedom of the press is still one of the fundamental components of liberty in our society. But in our era of extreme government regulation, President Obama’s words are concerning. He seems to believe the American people are incapable of discerning truth for themselves, and the government should step in and help.

The American people can determine the truth for themselves, and they’re tired of the federal government stepping in and deciding what’s best for them.

That’s why thousands of Americans have joined the Convention of States Project. An Article V Convention of States has the power to propose constitutional amendments that effectively limit the regulatory power of the federal government. These amendments can both scale back existing regulations and prevent future regulations from encroaching on the freedoms we hold dear.