[throwawaymedia]

"racist trees", "racist doorbell", "racist photos"... my god, when will all this nonsense stop? When will the mass media stop feeding people with that crap? As a lesson, every single news company that writes about racism more than twice a year must be canceled from all the platforms out there. This shit is out of control and has damaged many people's brains. Or is that coming from politicians who love the "Divide & Conquer" principle?

[Karunamon]

When it stops working. Even up thread, here on HN, someone said they are "okay with racists being locked out of their homes".

[BrotherBisquick]

> When will the mass media stop feeding people with that crap?

They won't, and that's why I think we, as a society, need to move past journalism.

That sounds like sarcasm, but it isn't. And I know what you're thinking- "oh but a free press is one of the legs of the tripod of society!" Well it was, decades ago. Now it's literally all tabloids and propaganda. It's time let it go.

We have various tools that allow individuals to securely communicate with each other. Let people communicate the news, word-of-mouth. We don't need bloggers and corporations anymore to put a spin on the facts.

"Democracy dies in darkness" is a threat, not a plea. Do you listen to cancer when it admonishes you, "don't excise me, or you'll be sorry!"

[brightlancer]

By definition, the "free press" isn't limited to government credentialed organizations.

A free press is essential to a liberal society (real liberal, not leftist authoritarianism). Ben Franklin didn't publish for free, so we should recognize a free press includes for-profit press. And long before there were bloggers, there were pamphleteers. We need all of it.

[JohnFen]

> Let people communicate the news, word-of-mouth.

But if that sort of thing is the main source of news, I think you'll find it would result in even more misinformation than journalism produces.