There’s a huge concern among conservative talk radio hosts that reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine would all-but destroy the industry due to equal time constraints. But speech limits might not stop at radio. They could even be extended to include the Internet and “government dictating content policy.” FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell raised that as a possibility after talking with bloggers at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. McDowell spoke about a recent FCC vote to bar Comcast from engaging in certain Internet practices – expanding the federal agency’s oversight of Internet networks.
The commissioner, a 2006 President Bush appointee, told the Business & Media Institute the Fairness Doctrine could be intertwined with the net neutrality battle. The result might end with the government regulating content on the Web, he warned.
Found by Thomas Wiles via Twitter.
Not one person who supports this proposed censorship has answered the question of how the censors would be chosen…
I like it when people use terms like “libidiots” and “Chimp-in-chief.” It makes it really easy to see who I can ignore.
Then we just go back to phone modems and BBS’s . where is the problem?
As one who remembers the fairness doctrine, I notice many on these pages don’t seem to know what it was. It was eliminated in the Reagan administration, so I’ll explain it to you ‘youngsters’ out there.
All the doctrine did is require broadcast stations to provide equal time to groups or individuals who took exception to something the station broadcast. That isn’t censorship, its courtesy. Talk radio was young then, and it was much more civilized (although not completely) because you always faced the possibility you would be challenged.
Since all the right wing hosts these days tend to just parrot the Republican talking points and the Drudge report, literally everything they say would be subject to challenge. Yes they have a reason to be worried, because they might actually have to WORK for their salaries if there were a fairness doctrine.
On a side note, did you ever noticed that the conservatives like to lump all liberals into the same bag? “Air America Sucks”. Yet you never hear them say “Clear Channel is great.” If you are going to attack liberal radio, at least name a host so you at least create the illusion that you actually have listened to one. This may come as a shock to you, but there are successful liberal hosts who don’t work for Air America.
And they would be subject to the fairness doctrine also, but none of the ones I’ve heard have a problem with that.
Chris
>> Sinn Fein said,
>> What is fair about it is called the Open Market Place of Ideas where people buy and support ideas and arguments that they happen to find themselves in agreement with…on August 13th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
But that’s the problem. There ISN’T an open market of ideas when conservative media monopolies are allowed to shut out political opinions they don’t like, with the collusion of a conservative government.
… and to do it with publicity owned airwaves.
>> Paddy-O said, on August 13th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
>> Not one person who supports this proposed censorship has answered the question of how the censors would be chosen…
Maybe it’s because it’s a parody of our viewpoint to call fairness censorship.
We don’t want censorship, we want ALL KINDS of political opinions on the radio waves… not just 100% conservative, 100% of the time like in many US markets right now.
#12 -“First of all, there are successful liberal talk shows. The Stephanie Miller Show has garnered great ratings in almost every market it is in.” – Proves my point, put something on people want to listen to and you get ratings. That’s how it’s supposed to work.
#15 – I’m talking about a steady drumbeat from the drug addled hippies on forward. But, once in a while things really are broken. The problem with Newt’s crowd is that they didn’t follow through and also had to try and push everything past a Democratic President.
Never fear though – all that is good will end soon with the election of O’Vomit.
nothing is fair. Life is not fair. Government can never make up for the fact that life is not fair. Fascist elements have tried to nanny and police and failed miserably. The religion of politics can make us feel warm and cozy at night knowing government loves us and wants to take care of us for the rest of our lives, but it cannot make anything fair. This issue is not about who is getting more time and what is being skewed to the left or right. It is a flawed proposition to ever begin with. As far as I can recall China is doing rather well at moderating media though…we should really look up to them.