Editorial: Government control of media is unconstitutional

Published 2:00 pm Friday, April 5, 2019

By Staff reports

Usually when a politician proposes a law limiting public and press access to government meetings and records, we call it “the fox guarding the hen house.”

Most politicians stop at guarding, so we’ve got to give credit to Rep. Andy Welch of McDonough for trying to go beyond that.

Welch not only wants to guard the hen house, he also wants to design it, decide where the exits and entrances are, dictate how many chickens are inside and get the keys to the front door.

Welch introduced a measure calling for state oversight of the media on the last day of the legislative session.

Welch wants to create an official state code of ethics for the media, set up an accreditation system and a process for investigating journalists and media companies.

We oppose House Bill 734.

For centuries, journalists have served as a public watchdog to hold government in check. Media organizations have a long tradition as the Fourth Estate.

Welch wants to reverse that role and have the government hold the media in check.

How does a conservative Georgia politician end up arguing for state-run media, exactly?

Perhaps Welch isn’t familiar with the 1st Amendment. Luckily, we happen to have a copy of it on hand and we’re happy to talk him through its 45 words.

It reads: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

There are no ‘ifs’ or ‘maybes’ in there.

Whether it is the U.S. Congress or the Georgia General Assembly, a government regulated press would be unconstitutional.

We urge our state Reps. Penny Houston, Clay Pirkle and Sam Watson, along with Sen. Greg Kirk, to reject the proposed bill.

While this legislative session is over, the bill remains alive for the 2020 legislative session.

We’re against it now and will be against it then.

And don’t just take our word for it: Read the current version of the bill at http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/Display/20192020/HB/734.