Hawaii lawmakers force journalist group to ensure its sources are “ethical and objective”

04/11/2024 / By Ava Grace

Lawmakers in the state of Hawaii have forced a journalist group to vet their news sources for “ethics and objectivity,” sparking a debate on misinformation and freedom of the press.

Reclaim The Net reported that state senators in the Aloha State are trying to get the Hawaii professional chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) to formulate a “new process” to ensure its sources are “ethical and objective.” To this end, the Hawaii State Senate (HSS) issued a resolution asking the SPJ to find a way to carry out such evaluation and ensure its sources adhere to this process.

The said resolution was passed by the HSS’ Judiciary Committee with no opposition or abstention, and is now headed for adoption by the whole floor. Democratic State Sen. Chris Lee, who introduced the resolution, said it serves as a way to “help” the public understand who might be spreading “misinformation.” He added that he hears people in the community repeating so-called misinformation “nearly every day.” (Related: UT Austin students behind CENSORSHIP initiative targeting conservative news outlets.)

“Unless you take that extra step and look into it, you can’t tell the difference between what you’re seeing on a post on social media versus what might be on a post from a reputable news organization that has vetted the information and is operating under ethical and transparent conduct,” Lee explained.

Government is trying to establish Ministry of Truth

The HSS’ resolution is non-binding, meaning that the SPJ would just be requested to conduct the study if it passes the upper chamber of the Aloha State’s legislature.

But according to Reclaim The Net, Lee’s comments reveal what he considers true information. Only those coming from so-called “reputable news organizations” and not social media posts are deemed as such. The site added that the state senator’s faith in “reputable” outlets seems to stem from their supposed ethical and transparent professional practices.

The resolution can be interpreted as a form of pressure on the SPJ’s chapter in the Aloha State. It also serves as an insult to the average American by claiming that in such circumstances, the average person finds it “difficult to distinguish truth from fiction.” Given this, the resolution opined that the new process the SPJ is mandated to follow should be of help.

In addition to pushing for protection of unbiased reporting and truth and countering “misinformation,” it also speaks about the digital economy causing the downfall of independent local media. In this context, the text continues, legacy media consolidated and became “increasingly more expensive to access for Americans.”

This difficulty has permitted social media to take up this space, per the resolution’s authors. They warned that “some organizations and individuals with broad reach presenting themselves as news sources to intentionally or inadvertently spread misinformation.”

Not everyone shared Lee’s stance, however. Citizens who submitted testimony against the measure wrote that they did not want any government entities deciding what news sources are reputable.

One obvious point of criticism stated that government bodies shouldn’t have the power to “anoint” one news source as more reputable than another. Doing so would bring society closer to having the Ministry of Truth.

The Ministry of Truth is based on the Ministry of Information in Britain during World War II that created propaganda and censored war details. In other words, it is focused on creating lies.

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Watch this video about the fate of the now-disbanded Disinformation Governance Board under the Department of Homeland Security in 2022.

This video is from Doctor Patriot channel on Brighteon.com.