'Unfairness' Doctrine - back by popular demand?

[North Carolina Tentmaker]

The first amendment argument is faulty. There IS freedom of speech. There is NO guarantee that the public airwaves be provided to anyone as a forum. This applies equally to both sides of this argument. Broadcasters are supposed to act in the public interest in exchange for using our spectrum.

Obviously the first amendment was written a few years before CBS was founded but the idea of freedom of speech or freedom of expression is not limited by medium. You want broadcasters to act in the public interest, but who defines what is public interest. Some people like Al Gore believe that spreading false science in the name of global warming is in the public interest. Some others might believe that spreading a racist Klan manifesto is in the public interest. Fred Phelps thinks it is the public interest to spread his agenda.

The bottom line is that if you censure of limit speech based on content you are violating the 1st amendment. Hate speech, speech that calls for illegal acts or slanders another you can limit, but limiting speech based on political ideology violates the constitution and puts the media in the pocket of the party in power.

Remember this guys, parties come and go. Just because your party is in power now does not mean they will be for ever. If you try to limit someone else's speech today there will come a time when you find your speech equally limited.

 

[Revmitchell]

For those, who support the unfairness doctrine, to be consistent you need to be willing to apply it on all mediums. Otherwise it is obvious it is an ideological agenda. You expose yourself every time you espouse it.

 

[rbell]

If you try to limit someone else's speech today there will come a time when you find your speech equally limited.

Spot on...

 

[carpro]

The airwaves are a public commodity and belong to everyone not just the right-wing fringe!

Liberals want for free what conservatives have to pay for...airtime.

 

[Magnetic Poles]

For those, who support the unfairness doctrine, to be consistent you need to be willing to apply it on all mediums. Otherwise it is obvious it is an ideological agenda. You expose yourself every time you espouse it.

The error here is that spectrum is limited and licensed. Not everyone can raise the gazillions to buy a radio station...although they may be cheaper soon.

Anyway, newspapers are not licensed. You can start a nutty right, nutty left, nut lovers journal, or whatever, because there is not the finite resource of licensed radio spectrum. Radio stations are private businesses. The first amendment deals with individual rights, not corporate rights. Just so many things wrong with some of the logic here. At first it seems sound, but once you think about it....nope!

 

[Revmitchell]

The error here is that spectrum is limited and licensed. Not everyone can raise the gazillions to buy a radio station...although they may be cheaper soon.

Anyway, newspapers are not licensed. You can start a nutty right, nutty left, nut lovers journal, or whatever, because there is not the finite resource of licensed radio spectrum. Radio stations are private businesses. The first amendment deals with individual rights, not corporate rights. Just so many things wrong with some of the logic here. At first it seems sound, but once you think about it....nope!

I didn't mention anything about the First Amendment. Whether or not everyone can raise the funds to start a radio station is irrelevant. And even when libs do they cannot compete. And that is what this is about. It is about libs cannot compete in the medium of radio because no one buys their junk. But if you want to be consistent then you want to apply the same to TV as well.

 

[Magnetic Poles]

I didn't mention anything about the First Amendment. Whether or not everyone can raise the funds to start a radio station is irrelevant. And even when libs do they cannot compete. And that is what this is about. It is about libs cannot compete in the medium of radio because no one buys their junk. But if you want to be consistent then you want to apply the same to TV as well.

You didn't mention the first amendment...another poster did. But you are right about television...it is regulated and licensed as well.

 

[bobbyd]

Liberals want for free what conservatives have to pay for...airtime.

They have that Carpro...it's called NPR. No, wait...it's not free, we have to pay for it.
So there you go, conservatives are fighting to keep the media they pay for and the liberals want to kick them out of that medium while our tax money pays for them to control the "public" radio.