Putting aside for the moment that there isn't a black and white division between left and right, but many shadings including libertarian, communist, anarchist, etc, the real goal of this is right there in that word "balanced".
Let's say Obama comes up with, oh, I dunno, a $1 trillion stimulus bill, and the American people don't have 48 hours to see this material. Instead, they rely on the media to give them the scoop.
What do they have now?
The paper of record, the New York Times, and CNN, MSNBC, the alphabets on one side, and various newspapers without the rep of the NYT (which is fading because of revelations about its extreme leftism and lying reporters...which no one would know much about without opposition newspapers) and FOX.
And...talk radio, which is the ONLY one of these outlets which allows an ordinary citizen to pick up the phone and almost instantly get his or her opinion out to the public, and add to the discussion.
TV allows occassional call-ins that last seconds. Newspapers allow one page of letters a day.
So talk radio is the ONLY outlet for the ordinary person.
OK, so shouldn't ALL voices be allowed to--
Stop right there.
"Congress shall make no law ...abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
Talk radio is an arena for free speech (as well as for freedom of the press, peaceable assembly, and petitioning the government due to calls for representatives to do certain things; this becomes literal when you realize that talk hosts can often get representatives on the phone and air when "regular citizens" can't).
Here are definitions of "abridge" from dictionary.com (I quote at excessive length to drive the point home):
to shorten by omissions while retaining the basic contents: to abridge a reference book.
2. to reduce or lessen in duration, scope, authority, etc.; diminish; curtail: to abridge a visit; to abridge one's freedom.
3. to deprive; cut off.
To reduce the length of (a written text); condense. To cut short; curtail. See Synonyms at shorten.
To make shorter; to shorten in duration; to lessen; to diminish; to curtail; as, to abridge labor; to abridge power or rights. "The bridegroom . . . abridged his visit." --Smollett.
She retired herself to Sebaste, and abridged her train from state to necessity. --Fuller.
2. To shorten or contract by using fewer words, yet retaining the sense; to epitomize; to condense; as, to abridge a history or dictionary.
3. To deprive; to cut off; -- followed by of, and formerly by from; as, to abridge one of his rights.
Not enough?
Here is the definition from Websters:
Main Entry: abridge Pronunciation: &-'brij Function: transitive verb Inflected Forms: abridged; abridg·ing
: to diminish or reduce in scope abridge the privileges and immunities of the citizens of the United States —U.S. Constitution amendment XIV> —abridg·ment or abridge·ment noun Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Back up to that list of TV stations and papers (I only mentioned the NYT but you know there are more). No one forced or forces them into being balanced. They are free to publish what they will.
Put aside the conservative angle--the reason politicians want this is in order to water down the ONE part of the media that is made up in large part of the voice of THE GOVERNED.
The Fairness Doctrine will ABRIDGE the right of free speech in this country.
Really, what else need be said?
“Really, what else need be said?”
Well said. The only thing other that needs to be said it that if the fairness doctrine is reimposed then nothing at all will be said.
Fox should give Rush a TV show, IMHO. Then let them impose a Fairness Doctrine on TV.