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Fairness Doctrine Update
FAIRNESS DOCTRINE UPDATE....The conservative Media Research Center, not content with the current state of the art in wacko conspiracy theorizing about the imminent return of the Fairness Doctrine, has decided to create a whole movement to oppose it. The newly created Free Speech Alliance is, they say, "a gathering of a multitude of organizations and hundreds of thousands of individual citizens" designed to prevent the revival of something that no one is working to revive. Alex Knapp explains what's up:
Given the current political climate, conservative wins in the next two years are going to be few and far between. So conservative lobbying organizations are going to need a lot of funds to get anything accomplished. But it's hard to raise money when it looks like you're losing all the time. The solution? Raise money by fighting a policy that nobody supports! The continued lack of a Fairness Doctrine is the MRC's ticket to "proving" that their being effective with their donations. All they have to do is harp in their fundraising letters that they're being "successful" in fighting the Fairness Doctrine, and voila! Instant comparative advantage!
That's pretty much the NRA strategy these days too, and it seems to work pretty well. Maybe it'll work out for the MRC too.
Look Boss the Feign, the Feign!
It's about the media consolidation.
When the move is made to break up the old media conglomerates, Hannidy, Rush, and the rest of the corporate cult schills will jump up & cry, "See, this is the fairness doctrine we were warning you about!" The agencies will then receive a flood of opinion from the wingnuts stupid enough to buy the faux fairness policy controversy.
This is like a inocculation, laying the foundation for a pushback against us taking back the airwaves from the corporations.
Heh. A politician rocks the boat and claims he can save you from the storm. Looks like the same is true of lobbyists.
Kevin, your analysis is oversimplified. The fairness doctrine may be dead, but localism or local control will realize the same ends. The right has plenty to worry about.
George Will (see his Aug. 17 and Sept. 18 columns) will be relieved.
This has nothing to do with the Fairness Doctrine.
This is part of the propaganda campaign by the handful of giant corporations that own and control virtually all of America's mass media to:
(1) perpetuate the Cheney-Bush policies of radical deregulation of media ownership, thereby enabling those corporations to gobble up America's last few independent radio and TV stations and networks, and
(2) overturn the concept of net neutrality which is the "fairness doctrine" of the Internet age.
While it's true that there is no actual effort by Democrats or "liberals" to reinstate the pre-Reagan Fairness Doctrine, there is or will be an effort to curtail or even roll back the Cheney-Bush deregulation of media ownership, and to strengthen and protect net neutrality.
Both of which threaten the ability of the giant media corporations to consolidate their ownership and control of ALL mass media in the USA and use it for totalitarian propagandistic mind control of the American people in furtherance of the ruthless, rapacious class warfare of America's Ultra-Rich Ruling Class, Inc. against everyone else.
The giant media corporations are determined to control ALL information that traverses the airwaves, the cables, and the Internet and to thereby control what Americans hear, see, know and think -- and will fight to the death against any regulation of the media in the public interest, which is antithetical to the interests of the corporations.
That's what this is about.
Sort of like Stephen J. Gould selling countless books debunking creationists, Scientologists paying dues to be rid of body thetans, or the guys who sell silver mesh faraday cages to protect your baby from cell phone radiation.
"... the revival of something that no one is working to revive."
Apart from Charles Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, Louise Slaughter, ...
It is ignorance, or is it deceit? it's always so hard to tell with Kevin.
a, please provide evidence.
It lives! It lives!
http://www.spectator.org/archives/2007/05/14/her-royal-fairness
"According to two members of the House Democrat Caucus, Reps. Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer have informed them that they will "aggressively pursue" reinstatement of the so-called Fairness Doctrine over the next six months. In January, Democrat presidential candidate Rep. Dennis Kucinich announced that he was going to pursue the Fairness Doctrine through his Government Reform subcommittee. "
a, some evil conspirator trying to push forward the Fairness Doctrine stripped the links from your comment that would have proven your point - please resubmit!
Meanwhile, I'm very worried about the coming legislation that everyone has to get a puppy like Obama's daughters. Send me money so I can fight to keep your pet ownership optional!
I oppose banning straight razors. Send me money now if you want to save the straight razor!
Warren Terra, that evil conspirator deleting links is actually the policy of MJ, which forbids links without moderation. (Kevin says this combats spam.)
Try submitting a comment with a link -- it might take half a day to get the comment approved by Kevin. By then, nobody notices it.
In the absence of links, may I humbly suggest Google? It doesn't take long to confirm "a's" point.
I wish Democrats would start with very low level surrogates talking about possibly bringing back the Fairness Doctrine. Why not have the Right spend resources on this issue? I'd encourage them to spend their money and energy on it.
A prediction.
1. The Obama crew and the congressional Democrats are not going to take any action towards renewing the "Fairness Doctrine."
2. The conservatives are going to declare this a victory for which they are responsible.
3. It will have no political effect whatsoever.