Scandal Rocks Government!
| Author | The SLAGlands |
|---|---|
| Editor | The SLAGlands |
| Date added | 2002 |
| Subject | Freedom of the Press |
| Main category (?) | civil freedom |
| Number of options | 3 |
The Scandal Rocks @@NAME@@ Government! (also simply known as Scandal Rocks Government! ) daily issue is one of the earlier moderator written issues and deals with freedom of the press. This issue is believed to be available to all nations at any point in time in the game.
Contents
Issue
A tabloid magazine, The National Incriminator, has revealed the sordid details of an affair between one of your top advisors, Robert Lotsalovin, and his secretary.
Debate options
- "They found out I did WHAT?!" Advisor Lotsalovin says in his morning meeting in your office. "This just can't happen! How can government officials do their jobs properly if we have to work under the constant scrutiny of these idiotic supermarket tabloids? I say tabloid newspapers must be banned, and we must not allow newspapers to speak ill of our government officials... for the good of @@NAME@@, of course..."
- "Unbelievable!" says Reverend @@RANDOMNAME@@ of the local Catholic church. "Our government officials must be held to a higher standard than this! Mr. Lotsalovin must be removed from office and jailed. We cannot allow such disgusting corruption within the halls of justice!"
- "Whoa, whoa, hey, now..." argues Senator @@RANDOMNAME@@. "What happened to Mr. Lotsalovin is no different than affairs that happen all over @@NAME@@ every day! Before you know it, they'll be after YOUR sexual history! I think what we need to do is take the public attention off of it somehow, perhaps by... oh, I don't know... giving them a tax cut! That'll divert their attention from this momentary distraction just long enough for Mr. Lotsalovin's divorce process to end!"
Domestic impacts
Option 1
The following game text is added to nations choosing this option:
It is believed that the first option decreases civil freedoms and decreases book publishing.
Option 2
The following game text is added to nations choosing this option:
- government officials are held to the highest standards of morality
It is believed that the second option decreases civil freedoms, but increases morality and decreases government corruption.
Option 3
The following game text is added to nations choosing this option:
- government officials frequently cut taxes as a distraction from antics with their secretaries
It is believed that the third option increases civil freedoms but also increases government corruption.
United Nations impact
In Jun. 2004, the United Nations adopted the Freedom of Press resolution which gave citizens, legitimate news agencies, and tabloids alike the freedom to put into print what they like. The resolution mirrored the third option in this daily issue. Though this resolution and the first two options would be in conflict if UN members chose these options instead of the first option or dismissing the issue, the moderators never took any action on nations that chose the first two options. The fact that UN members could still choose these options has been used as a justification for the opinion that UN resolutions are not mandatory, but instead are recommendations of international will. Some players advocate that UN members may chose to not comply with some UN resolutions, so long as such non-compliance is roleplayed and accepted by a number of other players.
Additional materials
- Freedom of Press United Nations resolution
- List of Issues
- NationStates Issues Thread on jolt forums discussing daily issues
