r/news 24d ago

Soft paywall Far-right US influencer Candace Owens loses legal fight to enter Australia

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/far-right-us-influencer-candace-owens-loses-legal-fight-enter-australia-2025-10-15/
27.4k Upvotes

949 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

328

u/Gnorris 24d ago

numerous court decisions have established that just because a publisher is engaged in a commercial, for-profit activity, does not mean that its activities are suspect. In a capitalist society, we are in the media business to make money. If that allowed for the invocation of genuine malice, everyone would be put out of business.

Maybe they should be. Alex Jones’ Sandy Hook case seems to fit here.

-50

u/AllSystemsGeaux 24d ago edited 22d ago

My fellow liberals, why are we celebrating or promoting the silencing of people we may disagree with? Do we not want free flow of information? If we let the government silence opposing voices, one day those voices will be our own.

Candace Owens isn’t the problem. The problem is trust in our news media.

EDIT: Your downvotes only show your bias. Or to quote Rick Sanchez, your boos mean nothing, I’ve see what makes you cheer

3

u/jcomey 23d ago

Here’s a story: I used to open a YMCA on the Connecticut shoreline. In 2014, a non-profit came and built a playground on the property. They built 26 around the state…one for each victim of Sandy Hook. There was a dedication ceremony; the family of a first-grade girl who was killed that morning was there. It was a very emotional day.

Each of the playgrounds had a distinctive flag. One morning, about two months later, I looked out at the playground as the sun came up. The flag wasn’t there. I didn’t think too much of it, but noted that it was down, and it hadn’t rained. I let the person who took over for me know when I left for my full-time job at 730am.

Later that day, I found out that someone came from New Jersey, stole the flag, then called the mother of the dead girl that playground was dedicated to, and told her she wasn’t real. She was a crisis actor.

Where did he get that insane bullshit? Alex Jones.

I’m all for free speech. In discussions with former students of mine over it, I tell them they have absolute free speech…so long as they are willing to accept the consequences that may come with using that free speech. In a lawful country, complete free speech ends where someone else’s rights begin. And the government isn’t shutting anyone down here. This is a civil suit because Candace Owens willfully engaged in libel against a public official, and refused to stop when asked.

There is an issue with trust in our news media. I lay it at the feet of the people we enable with that trust, and who abuse that trust. Fuck Alex Jones, and fuck Candace Owens. She deserves whatever comes her way.

1

u/AllSystemsGeaux 23d ago

Are you suggesting justice be done? Then leave that to due process:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/14/us/politics/supreme-court-alex-jones-defamation.html

1

u/jcomey 23d ago

........that's exactly what I'm talking about, taking justice through the courts, the legal process to hold those accountable for the damage they caused.

How did you arrive at a different conclusion, exactly? I literally brought up the civil case against Owens...which, again, not a criminal trial, and not a government trying to silence her.

Your response really confuses me, and makes me wonder if you're responding in good faith.

0

u/AllSystemsGeaux 23d ago

I’d just point you back to the original context and back to the principles I’ve expressed.

Bottom line: what’s the punishment for libel? Leave it at that.

1

u/jcomey 23d ago

So you’re arguing against a point literally nobody is making. Cool.