"I Approve This Message" Can Now Legally Include Lies

Oh, this is just terrific. If we thought campaign ads could be negative in the past, we may have seen nothing yet. They used to have to at least have an air of "truthiness," even if they distorted or misdirected. Now, they can just throw caution to the wind, and say whatever the hell they please. Ridiculous.

Does this mean that "truth in advertising" violates the free speech rights of corporations? Can food labels for Twinkies now claim that they are 100% natural earthy goodness?

Yeah, this was only Washington State, but I think we can be sure this sort of idea is gonna catch on like wildfire. Good grief.

[Excerpt]

Wash. High Court: Campaign Lies Are Protected Speech

A sharply divided state Supreme Court ruled yesterday that a law which bars political candidates from deliberately making false statements about their opponents violates the First Amendment right of free speech.

In a 5-4 decision, the high court affirmed a state Court of Appeals ruling that overturned the law. The measure was enacted by the Legislature in 1999, a year after a similar ban on false statements involving initiatives and other ballot measures was thrown out by the state Supreme Court. . .

Read the story at: EditorAndPublisher.com