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| Democratic Senator Tells Conservative Radio Station He'd Re-impose Fairness Doctrine--on Them |
| 2008-10-24 |
| (CNSNews.com) -- A prominent liberal Democratic senator, while being interviewed on a conservative talk radio station Tuesday, said he hopes a new administration and Congress will re-impose the Fairness Doctrine on radio and TV broadcasters. Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) told radio station 770 AM KKOB in Albuquerque, N.M., that he didn't know if Democrats in Congress will try to re-impose the Fairness Doctrine next year -- but he would certainly like them to. Bingaman told the station he would support re-imposition of the regulation -- which was rescinded in 1987 -- on the station. The Fairness Doctrine, which was first implemented in 1949 by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), technically forced broadcasters to "afford reasonable opportunity for the discussion of conflicting views of public importance." Critics call it a "gag rule" on broadcasters. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #20 I, along all french people, actually had a chilling illustration of the "homogenization" of society - when everyone MUST think the same, every possible news outlet sez the same thing, every person you know or meet sez the same thing, every possible public character takes up to the wave to say the same thing It is called "political correctness" here and it is the mantra of the left in universities. There is not much academic freedom and little diversity of thought in universities. This PC is also pervasive in other parts of our society. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2008-10-24 17:14 |
| #19 Who they gonna get to oversee it? Bill Moyers? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-10-24 15:53 |
| #18 What a wonderful idea! This would mean the mainstream media would also have to be fair and impartial. Isn't that right? ...Hello? ....Anyone there?..... |
| Posted by: Fester Hupoluck4524 2008-10-24 13:50 |
| #17 I assume NPR would somehow be immune to such a law. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2008-10-24 13:39 |
| #16 Now you know why the print media especially is in the tank for Obama. Look at the shrinking equity of the NYTimes. It is now a junk rating. They are losing their paper shirts to the new media of talk radio and blogging. Bringing back the fairness doctrine gives them hope for traditional news and the advertisers come back to their side. |
| Posted by: Jack is Back! 2008-10-24 12:43 |
| #15 It also opens the pandora's box of regulating and forcing conservative views onto NBC/CNBC/MSNBC/CNN/CBS/ABC and others. You are assuming the Fairness Doctrine will be applied Fairly. When it was in play before, the big 3 networks were except. Expect to see the same for all major media outlets this time around. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2008-10-24 12:40 |
| #14 This is how totalitarianism begins--little by little until it's too late. Ex-lib, you should ask JFM, as he's more elaborate and well-thought than me, but over the last few years, I, along all french people, actually had a chilling illustration of the "homogenization" of society - when everyone MUST think the same, every possible news outlet sez the same thing, every person you know or meet sez the same thing, every possible public character takes up to the wave to say the same thing, when the stormtroopers of the Forces of Good take up to the street to demonstrate ne masse, day after day, and most importantly, whe there's the obligatory "minute of hate", when you have to demonize the Forces of Evil and show your allegiance to the Forces of Good. I'm not making this up, it has to be lived through to be believed, it's a total and complete uniformity of opinion, without a single dissentign voice tolerated. First one was in 2002, between the first and second turn of the presidential election, and the Devil was pépé le pen, this amount of sheer propaganda was actually stomach turning, and I do mean that in a literal way, I actually felt physically sick watching it all. And the second one was the ramp up to the OIF, and the Devil were the USA. This one absolutely chilling again. I don't pride myself as a free-spirit or an independent thinker, I just choodse to which herd I want to belong, but it was like everybody had been taken over by the pod people, and was parroting the same lines. So, I didn't experience life under a totalitarian regime, but I'm 100% convinced I had two exposure to a society which had became temporarly totalitarian, and I do mean that, ask JFM, he will confirm you this was past anything rational in both case. |
| Posted by: anonymous5089 2008-10-24 12:21 |
| #13 They'll attack it from two directions: the first is "fairness," and who could possibly be against "fairness"? The second would be record-keeping, making the small publication keep reams and reams of paperwork to prove they're not financed by Antarctican Neo-Nazis. |
| Posted by: Fred 2008-10-24 11:43 |
| #12 I dont' think the Dems will try this. Only their far left minions would go along against what is clearly a freedom of speech issue. Democrats=Censorship is the quick route to party suicide now that there are a million other ways of getting the word out. It also opens the pandora's box of regulating and forcing convervative views onto NBC/CNBC/MSNBC/CNN/CBS/ABC and others. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2008-10-24 11:32 |
| #11 This is how totalitarianism begins--little by little until it's too late. First, wear the star. Next, your business is curtailed. Then it's time to go to the ghetto. From the ghetto, work camps. Then, the final "solution." Anyone who voices this type of concern will be labeled a kook. But it's all over history. The "slow bleed" gets the most power and control for the ones wanting it. People adjust, move on, then the next elimination of freedoms begin, and so on. And there will be PLENTY of people who want to help. They will come out of the woodwork because they see money and position in it for them. They will do things they would never have thought they would do when they have the support of Ovomit's government. It's a group thing. |
| Posted by: ex-lib 2008-10-24 10:48 |
| #10 The left with their goons in the enforcing departments would make sure this was only applied to the right wing sites and stations. Suppression of dissent. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2008-10-24 10:37 |
| #9 On XM it is (was?) called America Left. "If I had to listen to that yammering all day long, I'd leave, too." |
| Posted by: Grenter, Protector of the Geats 2008-10-24 10:16 |
| #8 And how many times has the "voice from the far left" gone fiscally bankrupt? I believe every time Al Franken's flagship station has come on the air, it's only a few months until they go titz up. Morally bankrupt is another matter. It does concern me that elected officials seem to be embracing the reduction of freedoms. I'm sure there are those that would draw parallels to what was put in place after 9-11 but IMHO that is vastly different than anything being presented here. |
| Posted by: Everyday a Wildcat(KSU) 2008-10-24 10:09 |
| #7 The airwaves are owned by private companies at this point. Except the airwaves are owned by the people. The state operating as steward of the common ownership, just like land which is licensed for mineral and agricultural uses, is suppose to regulate its use. Now when broadcasting was kicking off and the capitalization of stations were largely prohibitive for general acquisition outside of a few major metro areas, the concept may have had some rationale. However, today with various media, satellite tv and radio, internet and other means of communication, broadcast is NOT a technology needing 'protection' from market forces. You can be in the middle of no where and have access to all sorts of varied programming and information. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2008-10-24 10:04 |
| #6 He also said this! The airwaves are owned by private companies at this point. ThereÂ’s a license to private companies to operate broadcast stations, and thatÂ’s the way it should be. notice how he realizes he's stepped in it and let the cat out of the bag!! He tries to cover it as if he was talking about licenses but its clear that is their next move. |
| Posted by: Betty 2008-10-24 09:50 |
| #5 They are coming out of the closet in droves. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2008-10-24 08:04 |
| #4 770 is the biggest station in central New Mexico and the major metro area of Albuquerque. It carries Rush followed by Hannity (10am-3pm). They do have a local liberal host on in the evening and weekends when it doesn't conflict with university athletic broadcasts. Local TV and print parrot the usual national liberal credo. It's now down to one major paper with the death of its like voiced competitor. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2008-10-24 08:00 |
| #3 This will of course, not affect broadcasters who maintain the proper level of piety to the god Marx. |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2008-10-24 06:28 |
| #2 Sig heil! Sig heil! Sig heil! |
| Posted by: anymouse 2008-10-24 01:23 |
| #1 Sounds like Stalin cometh |
| Posted by: 3dc 2008-10-24 00:23 |