Check out the headline from the November 14, 2008, column by Los Angeles Times "media critic" James Rainey:
Right-wing radio sounds false alarm on 'Fairness Doctrine': Impose a mandate on broadcasters to balance their political views? That would be onerous indeed. But memo to Rush: Nobody's asking for that.
"Nobody's asking for that"? Not quite. As Patterico and Hot Air's Ed Morrissey have pointed out with video testimony, Sen. Chuck Schumer, for one, is quite hip to the idea.
Interestingly, in his article Rainey cites Schumer as "another lawmaker who has expressed an interest in bringing back the rules." So what gives with the bogus headline about conservatives' concern being a "false alarm"? Why does Rainey say this concern is, "as Archie Bunker liked to say, a pigment of [conservatives'] imagination"?
Well, Rainey seeks to calm conservatives' fears by asserting that Obama "as a candidate last summer, said unequivocally that he did not support reimposing the Fairness Doctrine." Apparently, we're all supposed to feel better by this. Patterico adds an excellent point:
I’m plenty amused by Rainey’s contention that we need not worry about this because Obama says he’s not going to pursue it. Obama said he wasn’t going to run for the Presidency — and then did. Obama said he wasn’t going to reject public financing — and then did.
So you’ll have to pardon me if I’m not particularly reassured by Barack Obama’s claim that he’s not going to try to impose the Fairness Doctrine. Based on his history, that’s a pretty strong indication that he will.
Look ... out.
