Product liability for mental illness and damages caused by propaganda

The US should pass tort laws to impose product liability for mental illness and damages caused by fake news and educational propaganda. I am reading on X about suicides due to the 2024 election results and there are scores of others suffering from mental illness after Election Day. This is largely due to the fact that these people have been subjected to years of propaganda by mainstream media and colleges designed to frighten their viewers/students. to outrage them and cause them to hate other Americans. The riots caused by fake news reporting of certain individuals’ encounters with police has caused severe injuries and many millions in damages. In many cases, dozens and dozens of “news” media repeat and amplify fraudulent reports without any concern, much less investigation, as to the truth of the reports or the damage such fraudulent reporting/repeating will cause.

It is time to hold “news” media responsible for the damages they cause. Not all news media are guilty, but those who suffer damages should be permitted to bring cases for damages that are fairly decided by judges or juries. Product liability cases made manufacturers more careful about the safety of their products by imposing liability and responsibility for the consequences of unsafe products - the same should be true for fake news and propaganda.

1 Like

The only federal tort law I found is the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) which allows private parties to sue the U.S. government for negligence by federal employees.

Otherwise, tort is a state law and state trial court jurisdiction. With the most litigious society on the planet, we are free to sue anyone for almost anything.