Conservative Pundits Fear Return of Fairness Doctrine
Politico.com
Introduction by Trish Nelson
The following article by Michael Calderone at Politico gives up close and personal details about the wailing and gnashing of teeth that the conservative talkers are engaging in at the moment over the not very likely return of the Fairness Doctrine. Ronald Reagan's slash-and-burn of the Fairness doctrine back in the
eighties gave birth to Rush Limbaugh – Rush could not have happened
with the Fairness Doctrine.
It goes without saying that nobody has a greater stake in maintaining the lack of fairness and balance on the public airwaves than the conservative talk punditocracy. If I didn't know better, I would suspect that Democrats in Congress are gleefully taking turns bringing up the Fairness Doctrine just to get a rise out of them. The small-minded, over-paid, without-any-redeeming-social-value-whatsoever shock jocks are going into total freak-out mode over the mere hint that their stations may actually be required, at some point in the future, to air fair and balanced programming – you know, opposing views! (at least the occasional “fairness” tweek keeps them less harmfully occupied for a day or two).
Having a meltdown over the possibility of reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine is perfectly understandable, especially considering they're in the business of lying (and a lucrative business at that). Just imagine what they might do if someone brought up “public interest standard” or “free broadcast licenses?”
For five days, Sen. Debbie Stabenow’s face has greeted visitors of Hannity.com.
It may seem like an unlikely venue for a Michigan Democrat, but conservative television and radio host Sean Hannity has made Stabenow public enemy No. 1 in the conservative talk radio world. Hannity has plastered Stabenow’s face and office number on his site following comments she made last week about the Fairness Doctrine, telling liberal radio host Bill Press it may be “time to be bringing accountability to the airwaves.”
Indeed, no member of Congress has scheduled hearings, there is no Fairness Doctrine legislation being introduced, and the long-dormant broadcast law is likely to stay that way.
Despite such cries from the right, it doesn’t look like Stabenow will be wrestling with Hannity over his microphone anytime soon to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine, the FCC policy that required station owners to provide conflicting views of controversial topics on the airwaves. It was repealed in 1987 [by Ronald Reagan].
But for even the casual listener of conservative talk radio this past week, it would be assumed that federal agents were already en route, pulling radios out of cars or snapping antennas. Stabenow became the latest Democratic politician to speak favorably of the Fairness Doctrine, leading many to the conclusion that she will either try reinstating it or push for legislation under a different name — say, “Fairness Standard” — but with the same effect.
What [Liberal Talk Radio Host Bill] Press would like is for Congress to address whether stations’ owners, granted free broadcast licenses, are living up to the language in their licenses by providing programming in the public interest rather than partisan talk aimed at one side. [I think we all know the answer to that.]
Blog For Iowa 