The truth is there's little the government can do about lies on cable

If a company makes a false claim in an advertisement, the government has the power to hold that company accountable and not allow consumers to be fleeced.

That's because the Federal Trade Commission regulates truth in advertising.

"When consumers see or hear an advertisement, whether it's on the Internet, radio or television, or anywhere else, federal law says that ad must be truthful, not misleading, and, when appropriate, backed by scientific evidence," the FTC boasts. "The FTC enforces these truth-in-advertising laws, and it applies the same standards no matter where an ad appears – in newspapers and magazines, online, in the mail, or on billboards or buses."

But that's not the case for what we hear on cable news or read on social media (or for that matter). And that was put into stark relief last week when Fox News' Tucker Carlson tried to rewrite history on the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.