Utah and Iowa, among other states, have passed ‘ag gag’ laws to prevent the recording of videos that reveal animal abuse at slaughterhouses. These private recordings are a consequence of regulatory failure, just as laws to prevent them are proof of political hypocrisy. If states regulated properly the videos wouldn’t be necessary; likewise, proper regulation would obviate the selfish need for additional laws to conceal evidence of regulatory negligence.
Whistleblowers are a check on businesses (and lazy regulators):
The whistleblowing capacity of the videos adds to the marketplace of ideas. Video like that obtained by COK are an important driver of public opinion on animal welfare issues and—as in the case of In-N-Out Burger and others—serve as a signal to the food industry to demand scrupulous slaughterers and to better monitor the work of their suppliers.
See, How Ag Gag Laws Suppress Free Speech and the Marketplace of Ideas – Reason.com.
Published earlier on 9.2.12 at Daily Adams.