So while the liberal media is overwhelmingly peppered with Prop 8 issues these days, did you think the newly neutered conservaties weren't going to find their own cause to rally around? Because liberals want everyone to be equal right? Equal rights for marriage, equal rights for transgendered people, illegal immigrants, Socialism, Communism, blah blah blah.
And so how long, the LA Times asked recently, until Obama and Co. bring back the Fairness Doctrine, the GOP boogeyman that forces every form of partisan media to have an equal representitive on the other side. So for every Bill O'Reilly out there with a microphone, there would have to be an equal Keith Olbermann. Which, um, is sort of already how things are shaping up, without the need of a doctrine to make it official.
So why, asks Howard Kurtz, is the conservative media so terrified that a bill that was abolished 21 years ago might be coming back?
Kurtz, quoting New Republic's Marin Cogan:
"Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, and other friends have spent the past year screaming about the horrors of Barack Obama. And, while it's true that they talked ad nauseam about socialism and the Weathermen and Jeremiah Wright, careful listeners would have noticed a recurring theme of anxiety: that Obama was going to use the newly acquired levers of government to destroy them.
The problem with trying to use the Fairness Doctrine as a fear tactic is that it just doesn't work for the 21st century, thanks to our glorious Internet and computers. Sure, you could point to the unequal balance of conservative radio versus liberal ones, but no Democrat in their right mind would vote for a bill that would allow conservatives to muzzle bloggers, be they network executives with Twitter accounts, or GretaWire.
The anonymity of the web also makes it impossible to imagine in this age of information dissemination, where everyone, even the Associated Press, is taking a less objective stance on the news because the facts are too easily discovered by, you guessed it, bloggers on the Internet. Forcing networks to reign in their stance on issues, while providing less Lou Dobbs, will just create a ratings avalanche as people take to the web to share their crazy, wrong opinions.
So if you want there to still be television, which everyone does, the revival of the Fairness Doctrine is just a load.
i've been listening to talk radio for 15 years now. I welcome the fairness doctrine with open arms. it'll be nice to hear both sides of the story on the radio.
Obama has a lot to learn!!!
Welcome to Soviet America.
O'Reilly is terrified of views that intelligently counter his right wing bullshit. Ol' Bill and the rest of the right-wing cowards can't stand the thought of opposing views being presented. No, not everyone is homophobic, warmongering, racist and elitist as O'Reilly, Hannity, poor fat Rush, wife-IRA stealing Kudlow and "there a'int no such thing as autism" Michael Weener Savage. If anyone thinks all views should be heard should welcome the Fairness Doctrine. O/W cry, cry, cry, bigots.
Wow, you people are idiots. All views can be heard already. Liberal shows are on talk radio, its not the governments job to make sure they succeed.
The left already dominates print media and the overall majority of television media. Just because you aren't as successful in the talk radio arena, doesn't mean you force "fairness"
Would you watch your blessed Olbermann and Maddow as often, if they had to give half of their shows to Michael Savage and Rush Limbaugh? I doubt it.
I think its so funny how corporate media has cleverly labeled themselves as liberal media
It looks like right now that the corporate media is very afraid of losing their influence on the easily swayed portion of the public.
Its too bad Barrack is not for the fairness doctrine so people could have a chance to get informed however antiquated it might seem, it worked. The Reagan era got rid of it for obvious political reasons, before that there was much more of an intelligent informative media at that time and therefore more of an intelligent less polarized public debate ..
I am however hopeful that the oligarchy of corporate media will lose there control over the
easily swayed.
its clear we need to enforce freedom of speech but its also clear we need to enforce freedom from the tyranny of corporate speech and their control over the discourse.
The Fairness Doctrine talk is as phony as O'Reilly's fake, made up War On Christmas. Nobody is really talking about it except the Right Wing Noise Machine. Has Obama proposed it? Clinton? No. This talk is Hate Radio just self-serving babble. RE: Weener, O'Liely, Sean Insannity, et al, don't worry 'bout a thing. You'll always be able to get your 24 hours of lies and bigotry.
Personally, I say we need the Fairness Doctrine. . It's hilarious that the righties promote the baloney that the media is liberal as a way of making sure the Haters dominate when nobody with a brain who buys this.
Listen, anything that puts these guys out of business is has my vote.