I’m truly surprised and disappointed in the number of e-mails I get from people who actually believe that the reinstitution of the so-called “Fairness Doctrine” will somehow prove to be a good thing.
Here’s one example that kind of summarizes these disturbing comments and misunderstandings of the way this proposed legislation would work: “I’d love to see ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, etc. have to give equal time to conservative points of view as well as libertarian.”
There are a few points that need to be made about this kind of thinking:
- This is what some Republicans thought in 1987 when President Reagan killed the old Fairness Doctrine. Few remember that conservatives such as Newt Gingrich and Trent Lott and even Jesse Helms supported legislation to bring it back. Why? Because they actually thought it might be used against their enemies in the Big Media. First of all, it would be equally immoral and unconstitutional if government were censoring network television as it would to censor talk radio. Either you believe in the First Amendment or you don’t. All freedom-loving people should believe in it and support it. In fact, we have a constitutional duty to do so – as President Reagan understood. President Reagan didn’t kill the Fairness Doctrine to pave the way for Rush Limbaugh. He did it because it was the right thing to do. He had never heard of Rush Limbaugh in 1987. Freedom of speech and freedom of the press are worthless unless they are available to all – not just those with whom we agree.
- From a practical point of view, a renewed “Fairness Doctrine,” implemented by a Democratic Congress, will never be used to bring “fairness” to network television – any more than it will bring “fairness” to talk radio. This legislation will be crafted with one purpose in mind – control. As far as the Democratic Congress is concerned, they have no worries about control of the Big Media. Big Media dance to their Big Government schemes without being provided choreography.
- The new “Fairness Doctrine” is going to be written in a way that allows the government to mobilize community organizers to do Big Government’s dirty work. Groups like Media Matters and ACORN will be named to community oversight boards to police the programming of local radio stations. These groups will not be promoting “fairness.” They will be promoting their own narrow and extreme political agenda. Anything that deviates from it will generate complaints and letters and calls opposing license renewals.
There is no “good news” for freedom-loving or even fairness-loving people in the so-called “Fairness Doctrine.” It is a frontal assault on our Constitution. It is a blatant attack on the uniquely American institution of freedom of the press. It is an effort to squelch dissent against Big Government in the United States – pure and simple.
Resistance to this scheme from freedom-minded people must be unequivocal, united and fierce. There is no room for middle-of-the-road nuance. There must be no temptation to hope for unintended consequences – like the way it might, possibly, maybe backfire on people we don’t like in the media.
We either believe in the Bill of Rights or we don’t.
We either believe in freedom or we don’t.
We are either people of principle or we’re not.
What will be at stake when government takes away your absolute right to hear dissenting voices and to be a dissenting voice is nothing less than your liberty – nothing less than our ability to keep government accountable to the people.
Don’t let your cynicism toward the media seduce you into believing the “Fairness Doctrine” is anything but a nail in the coffin of American freedom.
Because that’s what it is. That’s all it is.
The buried secret of the U.S. Senate
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