Advertising with factually inaccurate information, of course, should be punishable by law.
Consumers need to be educated from an early age on how to identify legitimate sources of information. That is becoming more apparent every single day.
That's exactly what happened, e.g.:
'For example, Pennsylvania brought suit alleging a "conspiracy in concealing and misrepresenting the addictive and harmful nature of tobacco/nicotine[,] . . . industry control and manipulation of nicotine to foster addiction and thus profits[,] . . . intentionally attracting and addicting children to tobacco products," and "targeting African Americans" (complaint in Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Philip Morris, Inc.). These claims encompass civil conspiracy, willful and negligent breach of a special duty, fraudulent misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment, negligent design, strict liability, unfair trade practices, public nuisance, and negligent and intentional entrustment.' [1]
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobacco_Master_Settlement_Agre...
It's also hard to see how the punishment for misconduct, even misconduct that actually occurred, can be a fine paid every year for eternity.
Absolutely right. And a huge part of that involves rooting out those who publish misinformation and pay money to get that misinformation published in what is otherwise a reliable outlet for information. Like in the case of tobacco.