A new Economist/YouGov poll shows that 45 percent of Republicans favor using the courts to "shut down" media outlets that publish "biased or inaccurate" reports. The phrasing of the question that evoked the surprising response was hardly ambiguous: "Generally speaking, do you favor or oppose permitting the courts to shut down news media outlets for publishing or broadcasting stories that are biased or inaccurate — or haven’t you heard enough about that yet to say?" "This is an abject disgrace," writes prominent conservative blogger Allahpundit on Hot Air, "45/20, tantalizingly close to a clear majority for torching the First Amendment.
Some on both sides want to stifle the press
