Broadcast Blackout of Left’s 'Fairness' Doctrine Push

Barack Obama’s transition team has tapped former FCC Commissioner Henry Rivera, a longtime proponent of the so-called "Fairness Doctrine," to head the team looking for the man or woman who will soon give Democrats a 3-to-2 advantage on the Federal Communications Commission.

It’s another troubling sign that Democrats are serious about trying to reinstate the long-defunct FCC regulation, which can more aptly be described as the "Censorship Doctrine" because of its chilling effect on free speech. In effect from 1949 to 1987, the Fairness Doctrine was an obstacle to open discussion of public policy issues on the radio; its removal in the Reagan years spawned the robust talk radio marketplace of ideas now enjoyed by millions.

While talk radio hosts often warned during the campaign that free speech could be trampled by an all-Democratic majority, the broadcast networks have failed to react to this dangerous threat to the First Amendment. A review shows the broadcast networks — whose affiliates could also be regulated — have failed to run even a single story mentioning the push for a new Fairness Doctrine.

[ I believe it's considerably worse than that: I've noticed an drastic increase in {seemingly unrelated} MSM stories which feature and lambast Rush Limbaugh {of whom I'm no fan} - to such a degree that I now suspect he's being positioned as the bad-poster-boy they'll use for this effort. Yeah conspiraltorial - but what if there is one?

Regardless, the push to re-apply the Prohibitive-Costs Doctring {as I call it} is literally intended to make recent Democratic gains permanant by removing the primary cultural counter-balance to the left's otherwise pervasive media influence. This will prove devestating in years to come if it passes - please join me in working against it by joining MRC's Free Speech Alliance - and as always, pass it on...]


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