On Wednesday, all 202 Republican members of the House of Representatives cosponsored a bill that would permanently repeal the controversial Fairness Doctrine.
Didn't hear about this?
Well, how could you, for not one major media outlet bothered to report it.
Not one.
As announced by Rep. Mike Pence (R-Indiana):
"Following calls from many in Congress to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine, House Republicans have responded in force. As of today, every Republican in Congress has cosponsored the Broadcaster Freedom Act and millions who cherish the dynamic forum of American talk radio should be thankful.
"House Republicans know that bringing back the Fairness Doctrine would amount to government control over political views expressed on the public airwaves.
"The Broadcaster Freedom Act will prevent the FCC or any future President from reinstating the Fairness Doctrine. This legislation ensures freedom will remain the anthem of our radio airwaves.
"I call on my Democrat colleagues to join me and every House Republican in cosponsoring this important legislation to keep America's radio airwaves free from censorship."
If enacted, this legislation would require an act of Congress to reinstitute the Fairness Doctrine rather than affording a future president such unilateral control of radio.
With that in mind, can anyone think of a reason why this announcement was totally ignored by the media?
Anyone?
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Any response yet from Democrats?
August 11, 2007 - 13:07 ET by RJ?????????
As for the media, they're probably waiting for marching orders from the Democrats.....
Emergency Session Underway
August 11, 2007 - 13:13 ET by Sergeant ROCKI'm sure that the MSM is meeting behind closed doors with their democRATic colleagues to form a joint-response... stay tuned.
Wow, Noel, Blog Post of
August 11, 2007 - 13:11 ET by BlondeWow, Noel,
Blog Post of the Year.
No, I'd not heard....of course. (Could it be the TV is off and I'm listening to blissful silence?).
Noel
August 11, 2007 - 13:15 ET by botgAnother great post. Wasn't a similar bill killed about three weeks ago?
can anyone think of a reason why this announcement was totally ignored by the media? can you say monopoly boys and girls? conservative radio stands between the MSM and their implementing with impugnity a complete monopoly of liberal bias in reporting
Supreme Court, National Security, Borders, Fiscal Restraint, my litmus test for President.
I never heard a peep about
August 11, 2007 - 13:30 ET by LighthouseJI never heard a peep about this. I guess when the republicans saw the democrats abusing the doctrine, they'll just break their crayons. At every opportunity I try to tell people there's mass media news and there's real news.
Take the events in Iraq. There are blowhards like Olbermann that spin a fraction of events and call it news, then there might be classified real news feeds without leftist or conservative spin. Just news like "this event happened at this moment in time. these people witnessed these events unfolding." ... you know, real news, before endless commentary and discussion was passed of as news coverage.
OMG !! No, not a biased
August 11, 2007 - 13:45 ET by OrlinOMG !! No, not a biased press!!! I just can't believe it. I hope our press can tell me what I should believe -- or even hear about -- soon.
I guess in my line of work,
August 11, 2007 - 14:05 ET by LighthouseJI guess in my line of work, the line demarking MSM "news" and real news is as thick as ever. Sure, NewsBusters.org identifies covert or overt leftist spins in domestic media but the overall deceptive machinery is multidimensional. NB is one layer of the onion between the core event and the skin of the story as seen by spectators.
this legislation would
August 11, 2007 - 14:25 ET by SMGalbraiththis legislation would require an act of Congress to reinstitute the Fairness Doctrine rather than affording a future president such unilateral control of radio.
That's the key. Congress would have to reinstate the FD.
Currently, the FCC board by itself - without legislative approval - can call for a renewal of the doctrine.
The only obstacle preventing this is a 4-3 Republican-appointed majority.
And you know darn well that among the first acts undertaken by President Clinton - replacing one Republican member with a Democrat - would be to destroy talk radio by requiring radio stations - no matter how small, no matter how financially strapped - to broadcast opposing views (whatever that means).
Elections have consequences (and for those who say there's no difference between the two parties I ask, "You really think so?").
SMG
Two-edged?
August 11, 2007 - 15:10 ET by heldmywI've wondered of late if this isn't a two-edged sword?
Let's say that the new Fairness Action Response Tribunal (bad acronym, but fitting), reviews all of the spoken word in media... I can't imagine how this would be done, but let's pretend it is.
Which side is going to be 'balanced' the most? Based on total tonnage, the liberals are going to have to shut down a LOT of major news orifices just to make things 'fair'.
Hmmmmm.....
heldm
August 11, 2007 - 15:14 ET by botgthe doctrine only applies to radio, not TV or print.
Supreme Court, National Security, Borders, Fiscal Restraint, my litmus test for President.
the doctrine only applies
August 11, 2007 - 16:01 ET by SMGalbraiththe doctrine only applies to radio, not TV or print.
Public airwaves, which includes television (but not cable).
And, as I understand it, not news shows, either.
The concern is that radio (and to a lesser extent television) stations would have to keep a record of the views being disseminated. And then balance those views with counter/contrarian/opposing views (of some sort).
Smaller stations simply cannot afford to handle such record keeping. Or broadcast dissenting views that no one wants to listen to.
They'll simply stop broadcasting opinion/talk programs.
SMG
not news shows, either
August 11, 2007 - 16:07 ET by botghow then does it effect TV other than marginally?
thus it is only applied (in an affective sense) to radio
Supreme Court, National Security, Borders, Fiscal Restraint, my litmus test for President.
how then does it effect TV
August 11, 2007 - 16:17 ET by SMGalbraithhow then does it effect TV other than marginally?
Well, marginal or not, TV stations (non-cable) will also have to show that they're providing balance in their broadcasts.
Clearly, this is directed at talk radio. But if the liberals knock off a few TV stations along the way, I'm sure they won't mind.
SMG
SMG
August 11, 2007 - 16:23 ET by botgthe point being that ABC news and SeeBS news will still be liberally biased. It's about stacking the deck so their viewpoint is progandized on the unsuspecting. I think we agree on this.
Supreme Court, National Security, Borders, Fiscal Restraint, my litmus test for President.
It's about stacking the
August 11, 2007 - 16:32 ET by SMGalbraithIt's about stacking the deck so their viewpoint is progandized on the unsuspecting. I think we agree on this.
Well, it's about shutting down conservative-dominated talk radio. That's proven to be a powerful medium for the right to disseminate their views and organize opposition to "non-conservative" legislation or policies.
Liberals have failed miserably in talk radio; so they want to, dare I say? destroy the village in order to save it.
No one seriously believes that if the left dominated talk radio that they would be calling for the FD to be reinstituted.
SMG
You are correct.
August 11, 2007 - 16:44 ET by Sergeant ROCKYou are correct.
great point smg
August 13, 2007 - 12:42 ET by lunaticcringeradioburn the village down to save it, never heard it put in such an accurate way before
i seem to remember
it takes a village, to over tax, to micro manage, to squash individualism and enforce equal mediocrity and equal misery, then the villagers will praise their glorious leader for any scrap of happiness they receive. all hail government, cause we can't do anything on our own.
ABC news and SeeBS news will still be liberally biased
August 11, 2007 - 22:05 ET by ThreePuttinDudeABC news and SeeBS news will still be liberally biased....
Who will determine the leanings of these moderators? Some libs I've heard, babble that Spit Mathews is nothing but a Conservative hack. Thats how some of these jokers actually think.
Others have called Tim Russert, center of the road....LMAO on that one. They are all nuts I tell ya'
Fairness Doctrine
August 11, 2007 - 16:39 ET by pocomocoIf the bill proposed by the Democrats to reinstall the Fairness Doctrine passes, I would suggest that an amendment be added to include the networks and newspapers.
Let us then see how the MSM will squeal like stuffed pigs when their ‘independence’ is threatened.
Well... I heard about
August 11, 2007 - 19:47 ET by bigtimerWell...
I heard about this, of course on C-Span though...
Of course the msm is ignoring this all....they are leftists leaning...I am including Fox anymore...just an exception of very few shows and guests.
Complete blackouts of
August 11, 2007 - 19:53 ET by daveinbocaComplete blackouts of conservative or Republican issues are a routine occurrence with the MSM bias. Even Fox News occasionally fears publicizing this news because it yearns for acceptance somewhere deep inside.
Rupert Murdoch's takeover of the WSJ is feared precisely because it gives him a powerful megaphone to get stories like the House Repubs vote into a national forum. The NYT hates and fears being exposed as the agitprop megaphone for Dhimmi-crat propaganda.
Btw.... I know I have
August 12, 2007 - 00:19 ET by bigtimerBtw....
I know I have posted this before in the past....
I think Pence would make a great House leader for our side...especially Speaker of the House.
One can hope.
Great post, this goes way
August 12, 2007 - 01:45 ET by rob6677Great post, this goes way beyond biased news reporting, they just completely ignored it. No doubt there was the usual amount of coverage on Paris,Britney,Nicole,and Lindsay.
I'm so happy that I don't have cable and that I found NB to see what's really going on.
"I may be crazy, but at least I'm not stupid" ME
i never heard, but i don't watch network news, same thing
August 13, 2007 - 12:35 ET by lunaticcringeradiofunny how the networks never addressed this topic, but at all other previous talk about reinstating the fairness doctrine was covered like a rug. hhhhhhmmmmmmm talk about the topic that we are in favor of, but ignore the end result of that topic, or ignore the topic when it turns in a different direction that was desired, or cover up the truth and pretend things never happened, that's what a liberal thinks fair and balanced reporting is.
what happened to the basics
who, what, when, where, and how.
liberal news is
who disagrees with us
what do we do to spin the story
when do we start pointing the finger
where can we get the most sympathy
and how do we blame someone else for failure.
Did Fox News report the
August 13, 2007 - 13:49 ET by JerDid Fox News report the story? How about Limbaugh, Hannity, Savage, Reagan, Bennett, Ingram, Levin, et al [or are conservatives in on the blackout conspiracy]?
And why didn't the incorrigibly liberal MSM flood the airwaves about this looming threat and sound a call to arms to defeat the proposed legislation?
Everyone should just relax and realize that if the major media devoted its time to reporting on all the hundreds of bills that are continually being introduced in Congress, there would be absolutely no time for reporting on anything else.
Jer
Jer
August 13, 2007 - 14:48 ET by Noel SheppardJer,
That's kind of silly. There are 1000s of media outlets, including those that operate 24 hours a day. The fact that NONE reported this is telling given the recent discussions surrounding the Fairness Doctrine and talk radio.
As per your question regarding FNC, they don't provide transcripts for all of their programming. Only selected shows get transcribed. So, I can't entirely speak for them beyond the prime time lineup which did ignore this news.
Rush I believe did talk about this on either Wednesday or Thursday. But, his shows aren't transcribed, nor are the other radio broadcasts you referred to. ns
Hi Noel.... Well, silly
August 13, 2007 - 23:44 ET by JerHi Noel....
Well, silly or not, it's a point you are helping me make. If the media blackout is the conspiratorial product of the unholy alliance between Democrats and the MSM (which several of the comments appear to suggest), it seems at least one of those "1000's of media outlets" [surely a couple of which are conservative] would be blowing the whistle on this story.
Look, I'm no expert on the byzantine process of 'How a Legislative Proposal Becomes Law' but I do know the mere introduction of a bill is just the first step of a long journey. I'm sure that as the bill progresses, or if it really gains traction, it will receive plenty of media attention...both pro and con.
Thanks for the response,
Jer