Limbaugh Is Right on the Fairness Doctrine
Conservative talk radio has worked itself into a tizzy lately over the rumored revival of the Fairness Doctrine — the FCC policy that sought to enforce balanced discussion on the nation’s airwaves.
As the founding president of Air America Radio, I believe that for the last eight years Rush Limbaugh and his ilk have been cheerleaders for everything wrong with our economic, foreign and domestic policies. But when it comes to the Fairness Doctrine, I couldn’t agree with them more. The Fairness Doctrine is an anachronistic policy that, with the abundance of choices on radio today, is entirely unnecessary.
The conventional wisdom is that Rush’s success depended on the 1987 repeal of the Fairness Doctrine. Some say that if he had to make time for opposing opinions, Rush would have flopped. Personally, I think he is most entertaining when he is dismantling opposing arguments. He’s successful because he is a superior entertainer.
…I also think he’s successful because despite his personal foibles, he’s right more often than he’s wrong.
Saw this on the web this morning and commented on it at Freedom Dogs. I personally don’t give it a chance, but I didn’t give Obama a chance too many months ago, either. Prophecy, it turns out, is an inexact profession.
My best guess is that Democrats will try it. They have no shame when they have power. Our hope is that enough people see it for what it is that they think once before pulling the trigger on it. Not being gun people, they do not understand the folly of “ready, fire, aim.”
My best guess: it’s like Gun Control. Dems’ll try it, which’ll foment a huge uprising, which’ll scorch the Dems’ fingers and burn up a lot of political capital, so the Dems’ effort will eventually morph from a crusade into a half-hearted dribble to keep the base exercised.
On SitD, “drug criminal wingnut” = “personal foibles.”
On SitD, “crimes against hilarity” = “angryclown comment”.
The biggest reason for the demise of the fairness doctrine was that access to the media for controversial subjects was expanded with the increase provided by cable tv and the expansion in radio.
And supreme court decisions.