Posted on 02/06/2009 4:10:49 AM PST by Man50D
WASHINGTON – Another Democratic U.S. senator has gone on record as supporting the reinstatement of the so-called "Fairness Doctrine," adding, "I feel like that's gonna happen."
Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., told radio host and WND columnist Bill Press yesterday when asked about whether it was time to bring back the so-called "Fairness Doctrine": "I think it's absolutely time to pass a standard. Now, whether it's called the Fairness Standard, whether it's called something else – I absolutely think it's time to be bringing accountability to the airwaves. I mean, our new president has talked rightly about accountability and transparency. You know, that we all have to step up and be responsible. And, I think in this case, there needs to be some accountability and standards put in place."
Asked by Press if she could be counted on to push for hearings in the Senate this year "to bring these (radio station) owners in and hold them accountable," she replied: "I have already had some discussions with colleagues and, you know, I feel like that's gonna happen. Yep."
Meanwhile, as WND has previously reported, other Democratic legislators have tried to claim talk about a reintroduction of the so-called "Fairness Doctrine" is merely conspiracy-mongering by right-wing talk radio and its partisan cheerleaders.
But other Democrats in the Senate and House – and even a few Republicans – have made no secret of their support for such legislation.
"For many, many years, we operated under a Fairness Doctrine in this country," Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., told Albuquerque radio station KKOB last year. "I think the country was well-served. I think the public discussion was at a higher level and more intelligent in those days than it has become since."
(Excerpt) Read more at worldnetdaily.com ...
Wonder if this liberal heard about that caller from MI tell RUSH that 49% of adults in Detroit are illiterate? (RUSH had somebody look up the stats and the reported number is 47%, RUSH was stunned with the number the caller from Boston, now living in MI, claimed.)
I’m glad we left Michigan in 2002.
Ooops! There should have only been one thread about it, apparently. According to the FRTPs*, anyway.
*Free Republic Thread Police
Just a thought, but what if the law were worded so that a liberal was mandated to accept the invitation of the conservative host? Failure to appear would incur a penalty?
They might not like the mandate idea after all.
Plus, like L'il Debbie, the sign is wider than it is tall. Great visual coordination!
I grind my teeth whenever I see her name, hear her name, hear her voice...she's going to be getting my dental bills pretty soon.
Why isn’t any of these “new media” types reporting on Stabenow’s husband and HIS line of work?
He’s an executive in the liberal media.
THIS IS BEAUTIFUL. This should go to Sean and to Paul W. Smith. No bias here. LOL
As the song goes in “Total Recall” — “recall, recall, recall”.
It appears that Debbie has a small conflict of interest. She is trying to use her governmental office to shut down competitors of her husbands business.
Thanks for the ping. Socialist on the march! Thread BUMP!
“....there needs to be some accountability...”
Hey Debbie, there already is some accountability. It is called the market. Just look at how the market held Air America accountable for their lack of appeal. Oh, you didn’t mean that type of speech....
I think it’s absolutely time to pass a standard. Now, whether it’s called the Fairness Standard, whether it’s called something else – I absolutely think it’s time to be bringing accountability to the airwaves. I mean, our new president has talked rightly about accountability and transparency.
By all means, let's have a little transparency. Before you go anywhere with this "standard" of yours, prove that journalism is objective. Unless you can prove that, all the prattling about how talk radio has a political tendency is meaningless. But you cannot do it.You cannot do it, because even if it were true the absence of bias would be an unprovable negative.
And you cannot do it because it is provably false. Journalism openly follows rules such as "If it Bleeds, it leads" and "Man Bites Dog, not Dog Bites Man" which are easily justifiable - but only from the self-interested perspective of the desire of journalism to make money. Is greed good - but only when it is manifested by journalists?
Bad news is what interests the public - but bad news is patently not in the public interest. So without making criminal accusations, it is clear that journalism would profit if a bridge failed or a major crime were perpetrated or a hurricane hit somewhere and killed a lot of folks.
Not only so, but politicians have a powerful incentive to get on the good side of journalists, and conservative talk radio is notably critical of "bias in the media." So politicians who promote "accountability" of conservative talk radio programs - government control directly contrary to the intent of the First Amendment - must initially rebut the presumption that rather than nobly serving the public good as they pretend, they are in fact corruptly currying favor with journalists who are in a position to help them in return.
And many liberals claim to be Christian,
even though their ideology is clearly in opposition to God.
You’ve hit on why they MUST stifle talk radio.
Liberal ideology from top to bottom is logically indefensible,
and when challenged, they invariably look like fools.
I liked his challenge,
and all of us should issue the same challenge, whether it’s a free speech issue or a gun rights issue, or whatever.
DEFY THEM and make them come enforce it.
If enough of us did this with our taxes, the gov’t would be in some real deep doo-doo.
Washington, DC Office
Senator Debbie Stabenow
133 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-4822
TTY: (202) 224-2066
e-mail: senator@stabenow.senate.gov
Mid-Michigan Office
Senator Debbie Stabenow
221 W. Lake Lansing Road, Suite 100
East Lansing, MI 48823
Phone: (517) 203-1760
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