Media Research Center President and NewsBusters.org Publisher Brent Bozell today called on all of President Barack Obama’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) nominees to pledge to preserve the First Amendment freedoms of conservative and Christian talk radio. Bozell asserted that if they do not do so, they should not be confirmed by the Senate.
Denouncing the so-called Fairness Doctrine is not enough. Last Thursday, the Senate passed a rider from Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) that creates broad new free speech-suppression regulatory powers for the FCC.
The nebulous Durbin Amendment potentially allows for the FCC to prematurely rescind talk radio station licenses and creates many new regulatory avenues by which the FCC can silence talk radio with such vague requirements as "encourag(ing) and promot(ing) diversity" in media ownership and "ensur(ing) that broadcast station licenses are used in the public interest."
Said Mr. Bozell in a statement:
Story Continues Below Ad ↓The time has come for all of President Obama's nominees, and Obama himself, to publicly vow to protect conservative and Christian talk radio from ALL forms of government censorship. So far their silence has been deafening. Should [FCC Chairman-designate] Mr. [Julius] Genachowski and Company not vow to protect the First Amendment freedoms of talk radio, the Senate should refuse to confirm them.
All the pieces for the silencing of conservative and Christian talk radio are being put into place. Aspects of the Durbin amendment create the impression of a new FCC censor power to pull station licenses mid-term - and many new ways to regulate talk radio out of existence.
These are frightening new governmental censorship powers, and Obama's FCC nominees should pledge not to use them to shut down talk radio. The ‘Fairness' Doctrine is dead, long live the new ‘Fairness' Doctrine - the Durbin Doctrine."



















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Don't worry
March 4, 2009 - 12:24 ET by cvgbuckeyeDon't worry Mr. Bozell. Thats really all we need;;;is for them to try that.
Go ahead punks;;;make our day. You won't believe what happens next!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm with you
March 4, 2009 - 14:40 ET by SickofLibsYeah, bring it - we're B E G G I N G Y O U !
Nice Job
March 4, 2009 - 12:32 ET by richb313Nice Job and Well Done. I especially like the way you were able to link Conservative and Christian Talk Radio. Very smart and a very effective move. I think that it will make it extremely difficult for the silence the dissent wing of the Democrat Party to find cover. If they should be able to somehow get this passed I hope that MRC with its' reach and ability to muster resources from like minded individuals can launch a legal challenge as well.
freedom of speech
March 4, 2009 - 12:39 ET by jessieHJessie R. Hamby To try to change the Constitution is TREASON!
Listen...we all know that
March 4, 2009 - 12:53 ET by DJEddleListen...we all know that this is not a coincidence. None of the actions over the last couple of months are. The "stimulus," the mortgage bailout, the executive orders, the talks of reinstating the "assault weapon" ban, health care, cap-and-trade, the naive stance with Russia, Iran, and Palestinians, attempting to silence their critics - it's all part of the left's agenda.
They are making their moves. The writing has been on the wall in huge red paint-brush strokes. Can we please stop pretending that it's all part of some juvenile or ignorant stance of unwitting Democrats?
Revolution? It Can't Happen Here
Do we really believe that the American People will stand by and watch as their country continues sliding toward its statist end? The attempt to silence the opposition is no accident and it is not benign.
Wake up, folks. Things are getting ugly.
Rational Liberty: Where Reason and Government Collide - The best website ever!
Do we really believe that the American People will stand by...
March 4, 2009 - 13:52 ET by JDWCould news media go nonprofit?
Imagine...
JDW
DAILY WAVE
The government works for me, not the other way around
DJ and JDW... Great
March 4, 2009 - 16:19 ET by bigtimerDJ and JDW...
Great links, thank you for all of the information you have here, very well said, all of it...and people need to wake up, and soon.
The time has come for all
March 4, 2009 - 12:57 ET by Dan The Man 2The time has come for all of President Obama's nominees, and Obama himself, to publicly vow to protect conservative and Christian talk radio from ALL forms of government censorship
Do you really think such a vow or promise will be honored by these weasles? This is the same Obama crowd who has broken so many promises now the public is desynthitized to any promise they make with teh MSM in compliance saying lets move on.
What will such a vow or promise do?
Nuke em til they glow then shoot em in the dark.
Obama has stated he is
March 4, 2009 - 13:26 ET by SickofLibsObama has stated he is opposed to reinstating the Fairness Doctrine.
Just like he stated he is opposed to earmarks.