It is my thought that journalism should be separated from “free speech”. Journalism should be required to abide by an equal time policy. If the media selects a story and sensationalizes it and it turns out to be untrue, the media must provide retractions of the same extent to which said story was falsely reported. Same time slot, same amount of coverage time, this is the only surefire way to reach the viewers that are devoted to a news outlet that knowingly lies to their audience. This policy would breed caution as to what’s being covered and sensationalized because they would now be required to back pedal on stories and ultimately jamming up their air time telling their audience they lied.
If a newspaper or non-satire news sharing site covers a story in bold print on the front page that’s 3 pages long, then the retraction should be required to be front page headline news printed in the same font, size, and style as the original incorrect information.
This policy creates accountability and cautious reporting