Quote Originally Posted by Dreadnaught View Post
However I think I'm most uncomfortable with the idea of a government clearing house for "truth". That really gets away from the fact that lots of discussion (even if it's lousy with bullshit sometimes) is what the democratic system is about. Democracy is not just being able to vote, it's about being able to advocate something with your vote, time and money.
Now lets be fair here. I said nothing about a government clearing house for truth and nothing about opinions in political discussions. Any campaign organization making commercials or mass mailings or writing candidate speeches ought to be careful and responsible enough to fact check their material. Reputable news organizations do this all the time - it isn't rocket science. And if they don't, either intentionally or from irresponsibility, there needs to be accountability because such things can and do sway elections. There's a number of highly respected, politically independent, private fact checking organizations that review what political figures say and rate the 'truthiness' of their statements. Often there's lots of wiggle room - context and selected data etc - but sometimes its an outright falsehood. I see no reason why such a system of fact checking campaign adds can't be given teeth.