The "marketplace of ideas"

[Beet]

No. There are numerous problems with this theory, whose well known proponents are probably J.S. Mill and Mr. Justice Holmes. It tends to assume, for one, that a free press will result in a multiplicity of viewpoints contending on relatively even ground, and that they will be judged objectively, as in a market under conditions similar to the neoclassical model's 'perfect competition'. There are an infinite number of ways to undermine this assumption without even thinking of governmental controls.

It does not take into account, for example, the notion of a "conventional wisdom" or the possibility that 10,000 different voices and 10,000 different sources could all be feeding off the same information sink, created by certain "information gatekeepers", while presenting an illusion of diversity.

But does the forum have any thoughts on this?

[A18]

It ensures that there is, and can be, an exchange of ideas and competing view points. It does not ensure that the best of those ideas rise "inevitably" to the top.