Speak Out!
The Fairness Doctrine & Free Speech
Wed, 07/18/2007 - 20:41 | Government
The Democrat-controlled Congress was rebuked in its attempt to resurrect the Fairness Doctrine:
By a vote of 309-115, lawmakers amended the Financial Services and General Government appropriations bill to bar the FCC from requiring broadcasters to balance conservative content with liberal programming such as Air America. The vote count was partly a testament to the influence that radio hosts wield in many congressional districts. It was also a rebuke to Democratic senators and policy experts who have voiced support this week for regulating talk radio.Why should or shouldn't the Fairness Doctrine be reinstated?
The Covenant with Black America
Comments
As long as there are White
As long as there are White people, specifically White men, who think they're being mistreated in this country, at the expense of someone that does not share their same skin color, there will always be more conservative platforms than the so called 'liberal' ones.
I can't explain the Black conservatives that listen to right wing radio, except to say that there are some people of color that have to do everything White folks do. And that includes listening to hate filled radio.
I don't think Air America is hate filled so much as it is boring. Bill Maher comes across as contemptuous and rightly so.....though in his case, he is actually part of the reason George W. was able to steal office in the first place, since he voted for Nader.
I don't know if Steven Colbert is the right 'opposite' to name against Maher, since he isn't really a conservative and is clearly not only making fun of the party, but his guests (who for some reason are too dumb to see that). I would probably have said Dennis Miller, though he doesn't really rate as funny anymore to me.
So no, I don't think the Fairness Doctrine is necessary. Keith Olberman kicks major azz enough for me every night, on MSNBC opposite that perv O'Reilly, to my satisfaction.
My comments about Air America
My comments about Air America are just the opposite of not listening. I said it was painful to listen to the hate filled spew. It's not a matter of whether they tell the truth, I disagree with the way they tell it. For example, I dislike Bill Maher, not for what he says, but how he says it. Colbert says the same thing and gets the same point across, but not as cynical, condescending and nasty. But that's so called "comedians". I think the problem is that many people DON'T listen to both sides, if they did, they would be able to discern for themselves who is telling truths and who is not. But the fairness doctrine is not about truth, it's about equal air time. How can you make any corporation carry a show that is not profitable to them? Just because some people think liberals don't have enough air time, maybe it's because no one is interested in what they have to say. I'm now an independent, so I listen to both sides, however, forcing the networks to carry liberal programs is not the answer to political awareness.
The true issue here is media
The true issue here is media ownership. A true Fairness Doctrine would address the true power of the media which is in ownership. Conservative based conglomerates have been gobbling up stations all over the country, coming into a market and buying a station in every genre and/or changing the formats. They keep the conservative talk for themselves and give the minorities 24Hr music stations with giveaways and prize packs, but no progressive talk. They can then lock up the advertising which is the life of radio and make it hard for any smaller competitor not to mention minority or women owned media outlets. Once this is done, they can then sway listeners and advertisers with their programming and influence on local and community issues. People want to hear progressive radio. Some just don't know it until they can hear it.
I have watched firsthand as a conservative based conglomerate shut out all progressive thought and conversation and took a very distinct point of view of local issues to sway the attitude of the community, and it is working for the most part. There was not an outcry from blacks because some blacks bought into the rhetoric, and the others were happy just listening to hip-hop and gospel stations that did not play any progressive talk whatsoever. What will happen now that Citadel owns ABC Radio Networks which include Tom Joyner and Michael Baisden?
The poster who says Air
The poster who says Air America is hate filled hasn't even listened, except perhaps to O'Reilly's false smears. Air America is a tough fact-based response to the giant disinformation operation that right wing dirty tricksters set up to steal public opinion. This is backed up by the research of the most prestigious School of Communications (conservative endowed) in the country which is FACTS, jack.
Many people don't know where
Many people don't know where all of the nastiness and falsity in our politics came from. I know. I have been listening to right wing hate radio for 18 years, during which time rightist tricksters were allowed to lie without challenge 24/7 on most every major talk radio station in the country, took over and wrecked the Federal government.
For a dozen of those years, the prestigious Annenberg School for Communication at Penn - funded by the conservo TV Guide fortune - studied talk radio and discovered that between 20-50 million listeners had been duped with utter "false certainty" on almost every issue, swinging the past 5 of 6 elections. People simply can't believe that the radio would be allowed to lie to them so baldly, the very definition of the Big Lie theory.
The solution may not be the Fairness Doctrine, but it is revealing to see the rightist tricksters squeal like stuck pigs over "fairness." They know this has enabled them to tip the balance of power in the U.S. Perhaps better would be for the Dem Congress FOR ITS OWN SURVIVAL to hold high profile hearings exposing how all of this happened. Have Kathleen Hall Jameson of Annenberg detail the research showing how truth itself was devalued out of our system. Shine a bright light on the ownership which has allowed this to happen, blocking out even the highest rated progressive talkers from major stations while blacklisting tiny struggling Air America, whose three outlets in Ohio were credited with helping win the November election there before Clear Channel shut them down on false pretenses.
Half of America never listens. Educate them as to how their politics turned so nasty and false. It happened on the radio.
I don't [think] people can be
I don't [think] people can be force-fed ideology from either the liberals or conservatives. It seems the problem is that there are more influential conservative radio shows than liberal. That's because the one time I listened to Air America, it was painful to listen to the unchecked hate and attacks with no obvious back-up of facts or common sense. Now people may hate conservatives, but it is their choice whether to listen to the shows or not. What good would a fairness doctrine serve? They could have 100 liberal talk or opinion shows, but if people don't want to listen, they won't. Like the poster before said, if we do this now, it may benefit liberals, but the pendulum will undoubtedly have to swing the other way. Then what, Congress will want to undo the fairness doctrine when it doesn't benefit the party out of power or vice versa. Having equal time for liberal and conservative is not going to make me or anyone else liberal. Leave people to make their own choices.
Those who are eager for
Those who are eager for government to regulate on their behalf need only look at the Bush administration's abuse of power. A Democratically-controlled House and Senate may restore (by force or fiat) the kind of equanimity we're looking for, but it will be artificial. (Kind of like having a funeral for a word still widely in use) Enjoy your equal station airtime while you can. A Republican-led administration would almost surely swing the pendulum ten-fold in the other direction.
**The key is to produce competitive programming that the people want to hear.**
Oh, and I guarantee, everyone's favorite programming that they want to hear on their local station will definitely NOT be the one to make the airwaves. If you pass the Fairness Doctrine again (there's a reason it's not around today) I can also guarantee a plethora of wanna be liberal/progressive shows that none of us want to hear will be fitting the bill quite nicely. Get hip to the game people.