If the Fairness Doctrine gets re-instituted....?

It is a ploy to shut down truthful conservative talk radio. Liberals excell at shouting for freedom of speech while violating that right if it suits them and their agenda.

Stop watching the very slanted FOX News and get some facts.

- No Dems were trying to get the Fairness Doctrine reinstated (it has been a dead issue for a long time).

- There is no legislation written or pending.

- The point that many progressive talk show hosts are voicing (not the Dems) is that since the TeleCom Reform Act of 1996, conservative corporations have purchased monopoly power on radio stations in many geographic areas. It is not that progressive radio has failed in those areas, it is that the conservatively owners of the radio stations have never given it a chance.

To me the conservative owners are missing the boat. In the last presidential election it was roughly a 50-50 split between Repubs and Dems. So the station owners, by not broadcasting a blend of conservative and progressive talk, are missing out on 50% of the potential market they could have. It is common knowledge that given a choice of their wallets or their ideology, Repubs will pick money over all else everytime.

radio airwaves belong to the public, not to any individual or corporation. As temporary "trustees" of the public airwaves, those who hold radio licenses have an obligation – again, from the Museum of Broadcasting website – "to afford reasonable opportunity for discussion of contrasting points of view on controversial issues of public importance."

But clearly there is no "reasonable opportunity for discussion of contrasting points of view" when 90 percent of talk-show hosts are either Rush Limbaugh or little Rush wannabes, all spouting the same right-wing garbage. After all, 50 percent of Americans did not vote for George W. Bush. So 50 percent of the American people are not being served today by talk radio.

The Fairness Doctrine, adopted by the FCC in 1949 and enforced till Ronald Reagan killed it in 1987, was nothing but "an attempt to ensure that all coverage of controversial issues by a broadcast station be balanced and fair." What's so unfair about that? Aren't conservatives supposed to believe in "fair and balanced"?

by the way, the only bill that has been proposed regarding the Fairness Doctrine?

is a bill sponsored by Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind.,

called The Broadcaster Freedom Act, which "will prevent the FCC or any future President from reinstating the Fairness Doctrine.

So why are the Conservatives whining so much about the Fariness Doctrine????

The truth is that both sides get their fair share of propaganda. The right gets it from talk radio, and the left gets it from internet blogs and websites.

The problem with the unfairness doctrine is that it shuts down talk radio but doesn't shut down the blogs.

This is why the left is pushing for it so hard.

Today the House voted to ban anything that interferes with free speech on the air waves. The unfairness doctrine only applied to radio.

the fairness doctrine had a purpose when there were three networks and the airwaves were in the public domain.

those days are long gone and so is the concept of the public domain so lets not quibble about things that won't happen anyway

Um, the House voted the Fairness Doctrine down today. Get on with it.

If you notice the liberal media has been mute about the subject. Wonder why? Do they fear their way of life ending by actually showing 2 sides to a story?

The fairness doctrine is not getting re-instituted. This is starting to border on hysterical.

The fairness doctrine is dead.

Thank you Mike Pence R Indiana!