Obama's Fickle First Amendment Advocacy

Human Events ^ | 10-31-08 | Gary Bauer

[Wolf13]

While many political experts are busy with their Election Day predictions, there’s only one prediction I’m making: Whether enraged (If Obama loses) or gloating (if Obama wins), the Left will make reinstating the Fairness Doctrine a top-shelf priority in the next Congress.

You remember the Fairness Doctrine: the policy that required broadcasters to present competing sides of controversial issues. It was resurrected recently by congressional Democrats after studies showed 90 percent of talk radio programming is conservative.

Of course, there isn’t a city in America where one cannot access a liberal radio or TV station. And given its dominance of the print and television media (not to mention Hollywood, public schools, academia and the courts), one would think the Left might tolerate—even welcome—some dissenting opinion, if only to have something to point to when conservatives claim media bias. But no. The totalitarian impulse is just too strong on the Left, which seems unable to stand the idea that somewhere at the end of the radio dial a dissenting voice can be heard.

[BAW]

Here’s a better idea. Let’s make campaign finance reform a top priority.

[Sybeck1]

Not only conservative talk radio, but Christian talk.

[TexanToTheCore]

I fail to see how the fairness doctrine would get by the First Amendment. Makes no sense at all. I know it was the law of the land before, but it makes no sense at all.

[Little Ray]

The Fairness Doctrine existed until the 1980s and only ended during the Reagan years. The Federal Government justifies it by saying that they, the Federal Government, hold the airwaves “in trust” for the American People and can thus set terms for their usage.
If passed by Congress, the Supreme Court will uphold it.