Quote Originally Posted by Marshal Murat View Post
Just out of curiosity, why is it always assumed that any discussion on free speech means that, were rights restricted, the newspapers would have a primarily pro-government view? If we give complete free speech, wouldn't the majority be anti-government and probably baseless?
Firstly, it is assumed that where rights are being restricted that the media will have a pro-government slant because usually it will be the/a government doing the restricting.

Secondly, no complete free speech would not. For example, the internet is a tool of free speech, look at this forum as a tiny speck of the internet. Is every view put forth using this medium anti-government? No of course not.

Is every view baseless? Well, that's the thing with the media, any media. Journalists love to put spin on words and images, they can use baseless means to fuel real reactions and opinions, regardless of their viewpoint. It's up to you to be bothered to find out if they are lying to you, so you should always keep a grain of salt handy.