C10 -- I'm on your track. This isn't about impinging on free speech, it's about making sure non-free -- i.e. FUNDED -- speech is not posing as someone's free thought. If I am professionally affiliated w/ a political organization, be it a lobbying group, polical party, or grass-roots PAC, I need to provide disclosure when I offer an opinion related that promotes my professional interests or organizational affiliations.
Otherwise, let's consider the following scenario: A PAC wants to a particular candidate for public office. So, instead of forking over $40K for a 30-second spot on the local news, the PAC hires 10 college students for a month to fill the blogospere w/ biased viewpoints, all under the guise of free speech.
'Free' does not mean it costs $0; It means it was worth more than money.
Slashdot Mirror
C10 -- I'm on your track. This isn't about impinging on free speech, it's about making sure non-free -- i.e. FUNDED -- speech is not posing as someone's free thought. If I am professionally affiliated w/ a political organization, be it a lobbying group, polical party, or grass-roots PAC, I need to provide disclosure when I offer an opinion related that promotes my professional interests or organizational affiliations. Otherwise, let's consider the following scenario: A PAC wants to a particular candidate for public office. So, instead of forking over $40K for a 30-second spot on the local news, the PAC hires 10 college students for a month to fill the blogospere w/ biased viewpoints, all under the guise of free speech. 'Free' does not mean it costs $0; It means it was worth more than money.