GOP Tries to Censor Free Speech While Pretending They Are For It

As usual, the GOP, having nothing else to offer, is busy distorting issues.  In this case, they are attempting to turn upside-down the meaning of the Fairness Doctrine.  Feigning indignation and pretending to believe the FD is an affront to free speech, the GOP plans to force a vote on an anti-Fairness Doctrine bill, cleverly dubbed the Broadcaster Freedom Act, (read Freedom of right-wing pundits like Rush Limbaugh to monopolize the airwaves).   In truth, the Fairness Doctrine would not suppress conservative talk, but would make space for a range of views on the publicly-owned airwaves in addition to the conservative view. (You can see why they're so upset about it…).  

Take for instance, Iowa's own WHO-Radio, (actually, it's not Iowa's own, it's Clear Channel's own) which currently airs 13 hours a day of non-stop conservative blather, with no opposing view.  The FD would mean that WHO would maybe have to go to 11 hours a day of conservative blather, and leave a couple of hours for an opposing view. (This is probably all that would be necessary to achieve fairness and balance – truth being quite identifiable and powerful if only people have access to it, one hour of exposure to truth would probably neutralize 11 hours of lies – again, you can see why they're so concerned).

Conservatives argue that the free marketplace rules!  But the 1996 Telecommunications Act (the one thing I'll never forgive Bill Clinton for) made it possible for huge media companies to become giant companies and now all of the information disseminated on the broadcast airwaves reflects the interests of these few companies (not the free marketplace).  Without a Fairness Doctrine or at least FCC enforcement of local public interest standards, the handful of giant companies that own all the stations and have a vested interest in the promotion of a conservative ideology, do not have to bother with what the marketplace wants; they do not have to worry about diversity, and most important of all, they can ignore the fact that they are only allowed to use the publicly owned airwaves (for free) because their license requires that they air programming that reflects the diversity of the local community. 

So again, using WHO-Radio as an example, in order to claim that their programming reflects the diversity of Des Moines or central Iowa, virtually every one who lives in the WHO broadcast area would have to be a right wing-nut. Contrary to what eastern Iowans tend to believe about upstate Iowa, the November election proved that this is not the case.

Obama doesn't need the Fairness Doctrine to correct the imbalance on the publicly owned radio airwaves.  This is why he can afford to say he's opposed to it (although I have not found where he has said he believes it violates free speech).  All that really needs to happen, IMHO(!) is for the FCC to enforce station licensure requirements, which I think is pretty clear the Obama FCC will look into first chance they get. Nevertheless, it would be good to contact your Senators and Representatives to make sure they vote NO on the GOP effort to censor diverse speech.

Here's the story from Demint.senate.gov

DeMint to Force Vote Next Week on Bill to Stop Fairness Doctrine
President Obama says his administration opposes the Fairness Doctrine, which violates free speech; the DeMint-Thune Broadcaster Freedom Act takes a stand against such censorship.
 
February 19, 2009 – WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina), chairman of the Senate Steering Committee, announced that he will offer the Broadcaster Freedom Act (S.34) as an amendment to the D.C. Voting Rights bill next week. The Broadcaster Freedom Act, introduced by U.S. Senators DeMint and John Thune (R-South Dakota), prevents the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from reinstating the Fairness Doctrine, which would suppress free speech by requiring the government to monitor political views and decide what constitutes fair political discourse.

President Obama stated yesterday that he opposes the fairness doctrine, but Democrats in Congress have disagreed with the administration and announced their support for suppressing free speech on the radio, including: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) and U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-Illinois), Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan), Charles Schumer (D-New York), Jeff Bingaman (D-New Mexico), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Diane Feinstein (D-California).

The DeMint-Thune Senate bill, S. 34, has 29 cosponsors including Senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tennessee), John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), Christopher Bond (R-Missouri), Sam Brownback (R-Kansas), Jim Bunning (R-Kentucky), Richard Burr (R-North Carolina), Saxby Chambliss (R-Georgia), Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma), Thad Cochran (R-Mississippi), Bob Corker (R-Tennessee), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) John Ensign (R-Nevada), Michael Enzi (R-Wyoming), Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), Johnny Isakson (R-Georgia), Mike Johanns (R-Nebraska), Jon Kyl (R-Arizona), Richard Lugar (R-Indiana), Mel Martinez (R-Florida), Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), Pat Roberts (R-Kansas), Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama), David Vitter (R-Louisiana), George Voinovich (R-Ohio), and Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi).

The Broadcaster Freedom Act has also been introduced in the House by U.S. Congressmen Mike Pence (R-Indiana), chairman of the House Republican Conference, and Greg Walden (R-Oregon) and the bill currently has 177 cosponsors.