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Congresswoman Pushes for Return of 'Fairness Doctrine' and Extend It to Cable and Satellite
NewsBusters ^ | December 16, 2008 | P.J. Gladnick

Posted on 12/16/2008 6:15:19 PM PST by PJ-Comix

Although president-elect Barack Obama has stated that he is opposed to the reimposition of the so-called Fairness Doctrine, it remains to be seen if he can resist the pressure of Congress to bring back a measure that many on the left favor because they claim it will "Hush Rush." Leading the charge for bringing back the Fairness Doctrine is Congresswoman Anna Eshoo of California. According to this report, Eshoo not only wants to bring it back but to extend it to absurdly include cable and satellite where public airwaves are not even involved:

Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, said Monday she will work to restore the Fairness Doctrine and have it apply to cable and satellite programming as well as radio and TV.

“I’ll work on bringing it back. I still believe in it,” Eshoo told the Daily Post in Palo Alto.

The Fairness Doctrine required TV and radio stations to balance opposing points of view. It meant that those who disagreed with the political slant of a commentator were entitled to free air time to give contrasting points of view, usually in the same time slot as the original broadcast.

The doctrine was repealed by the Reagan administration's Federal Communications Commission in 1987, and a year later, Rush Limbaugh's show went national, ushering in a new form of AM radio.

Conservative talk show hosts fear the doctrine will result in their programs being canceled because stations don't want to offer large amounts of air time to opponents whose response programs probably wouldn't get good ratings.

Eshoo said she would recommend the doctrine be applied not only to radio and TV broadcasts, but also to cable and satellite services.

“It should and will affect everyone,” she said.


(Excerpt) Read more at newsbusters.org ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Front Page News; Government; US: California
KEYWORDS: 111th; achillwind; agenda; bho2008; california; censorship; communism; democracydied; democratparty; democrats; dnctalkingpoints; dumbdumbdumbdumbdumb; eshoo; fairnessdoctrine; firstamendment; freespeech; hushrush; lp; rushlimbaugh; silenceamerica; talkradio
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To: Lancey Howard

I’ve noticed that Fox News almost never presents a topic without a liberal counterweight. They have been and are preparing for this to happen.

I find it hard to believe that they could get far enough to “Hush Rush.” Thanks to him, there is now a large, established industry of talk radio, and I don’t see an act of congress making it go away. In other words, that train has already left the station.


101 posted on 12/17/2008 10:32:41 AM PST by ichabod1 (Reagan wouldÂ’ve fired them.)
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To: ScottinVA

We don’t need to freak out about Eshee. We already own the radio airwaves, and we can use that to defeat this single voice calling for re-instatement of the Fairness Doctrine.
Did you know that we contol 91 percent of the total weekday talk radio programming of the top 257 stations? How the hell are they going to compete with that? Each weekday, 2,570 hours and 15 minutes of conservative talk are broadcast on these stations compared to 254 hours of liberal broadcast - 10 time more conservative than liberal talk. Bottom line? We win. The five top news/talk station owners are conservative. Game, set, match.


102 posted on 12/17/2008 10:36:00 AM PST by FoundingFarther ("We don't need ammo, we own the media")
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To: eclecticEel

You are confusing the “Fairness Doctrine” (which was eliminated by Reagan in 1987) with the “Equal Time Rule” (in place since 1934) which simply says that if a station gives a free prime-time minute to a candidate, they must give a free minute to the opposing candidate (only if they ask). Neither one talks about forcing stations to provide equal programming time to competing political viewpoints. Since there is only one lonely Representative proposing a reintroduction of “Fairness”, it doesn’t seem like much of a threat when even Obama is against it.


103 posted on 12/17/2008 11:14:54 AM PST by FoundingFarther ("We don't need ammo, we own the media")
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To: PJ-Comix

More of the same from the party of tolerence and inclusion.


104 posted on 12/17/2008 11:21:56 AM PST by CSM (IÂ’m jubilant! Now that the Dems are completely in charge, we can FINALLY blame THEM for everything!)
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To: PJ-Comix

How about newspapers and magzines...

Car bumpers? I want to see “Somewhere in Kenya A Village Is Missing Its’ Idiot” bumperstickers on Volvos and Saabs.


105 posted on 12/17/2008 11:23:48 AM PST by Doctor Raoul (It's no longer the Press Van, it's a "Tanker" Truck!)
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To: FoundingFarther
How the hell are they going to compete with that?

That's the whole point - leftists never "compete" - they FORCE (legislate).

106 posted on 12/17/2008 11:23:53 AM PST by MrB (The 0bamanation: Marxism, Infanticide, Appeasement, Depression, Thuggery, and Censorship)
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To: Ingtar; mrclean5

Agreed.........


107 posted on 12/17/2008 11:31:22 AM PST by Osage Orange (Congress would steal the nickels off a dead man's eye's...............)
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To: PJ-Comix

self ping...


108 posted on 12/17/2008 11:53:01 AM PST by ebiskit (South Park Republican ( I see Red People ))
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To: PJ-Comix

Eshoo Who???

This should be called the Political Censorship Doctrine for that indeed is what it is.


109 posted on 12/17/2008 11:54:08 AM PST by ZULU (Non nobis, non nobis Domine, sed nomini tuo da gloriam. God, guts and guns made America great.)
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To: MrB

“That’s the whole point - leftists never “compete” - they FORCE (legislate).”

Well, they’re doing a pretty pitiful job of it this time. If Eshee is the only one advocating for it, they won’t be able to force anything. She’s not much of a threat. Pelosi, Reid, Obabma are all notably silent or against it. I think they realize it is a losing issue.


110 posted on 12/17/2008 12:04:57 PM PST by FoundingFarther ("We don't need ammo, we own the media")
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To: PJ-Comix

>>Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto

I can’t believe I used to live in this libtard’s district.


111 posted on 12/17/2008 12:07:22 PM PST by Betis70
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To: SunkenCiv
RE: Recall Time

We can only hope. Kalifornia just seems to BREED these socialist people in droves.


112 posted on 12/17/2008 12:21:55 PM PST by Seadog Bytes (OPM - The Liberal 'solution' to every societal problem. (Other People's Money))
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To: Seadog Bytes

Those are the spoiled brat children who want to spend other people’s money.

They don’t get it and do not want to get it.

Think of a child that gets an allowance and has no chores connected with it. When they whine they get more money. They have been trained to associate being a pain with profit.


113 posted on 12/17/2008 12:27:12 PM PST by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
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To: FoundingFarther
We already own the radio airwaves, and we can use that to defeat this single voice calling for re-instatement of the Fairness Doctrine.

The talk radio audience is decidedly skewed to the right as is. However fun preaching to the choir can be, it's not going to win too many arguments.

114 posted on 12/17/2008 12:44:31 PM PST by eclecticEel (In short, I want Obama given the same respect and deference that Democrats have given George Bush)
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To: longtermmemmory

...An idea whose time has come...?


115 posted on 12/17/2008 1:18:27 PM PST by Seadog Bytes (OPM - The Liberal 'solution' to every societal problem. (Other People's Money))
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To: Seadog Bytes

If the “Fairness Doctrine” is to be truly fair, taxpayer funded media (NPR and PBS, plus all the fed grant run “art societies” and the like) have to go.


116 posted on 12/17/2008 2:16:33 PM PST by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/_______Profile finally updated Saturday, December 6, 2008 !!!)
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To: SunkenCiv

“Truly fair” has NEVER been the actual goal for these people.


117 posted on 12/17/2008 2:21:05 PM PST by Seadog Bytes (OPM - The Liberal 'solution' to every societal problem. (Other People's Money))
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To: PJ-Comix
This is big news. Now the liberals want to extend the "Fairness Doctrine from the airwaves to cable and satellite.

The Final Solution version won't stop there. They will also attempt to silence, uh, "regulate" the internet too.

118 posted on 12/17/2008 2:22:03 PM PST by Paul Ross (Ronald Reagan-1987:"We are always willing to be trade partners but never trade patsies.")
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To: PJ-Comix
Geez, this wacko's District is no Maxine Water's. It includes Palo Alto, high income area's in the west Silicon Valley, etc. Her constituents probably listen to a lot of talk radio.
119 posted on 12/17/2008 2:29:50 PM PST by Plutarch
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To: PJ-Comix

how about newspapers


120 posted on 12/17/2008 2:31:46 PM PST by jern
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