Senator Targets Radio Marti In 'Spotlight On Spending'

Radio Ink ^ | November 23, 2009 | Radio Ink

[PressurePoint]

Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) has launched a "Spotlight on Spending" series to highlight items in his Control Spending Now Act, which includes 40 items that, the senator says, will reduce the government deficit by more than half a trillion dollars.

The first provision featured by Feingold's press office is Radio Marti, launched in 1983 to broadcast 24 hours of programming designed to undermine the Castro regime. TV Marti debuted in 1990. Both are operated by the Office of Cuba Broadcasting under the Broadcasting Board of Governors.

Feingold's office cites Radio and TV Marti as wasteful, among other reasons, because their signals are jammed by the Cuban government and their audiences are small. The Broadcasting Board of Governors has also said that they fail to meet journalistic standards of "balance and objectivity."

Feingold said, "This relic of the Cold War attempts to broadcast radio and TV signals into Cuba that virtually no one tunes in to. Government studies show that Radio and TV Marti are riddled with problems, and fall short of journalistic standards. As we progress toward a more modern and constructive relationship with Cuba, Radio and TV Martí no longer have any real diplomatic or fiscal purpose."

[PressurePoint]

... fail to meet journalistic standards of "balance and objectivity."

I guess they have too much of a Pro-America slant and fail to offer Castro's side of the story.

[Izzy Dunne]

they fail to meet journalistic standards of "balance and objectivity."

THis leaped out at me, too... Since when are there any codified "journalistic standards of balance and objectivity." ?

Where are they written?

When are they applied?

To whom are they applied?

[Kandy Atz]

... fail to meet journalistic standards of “balance and objectivity.”

Under this standard, shouldn’t PBS and NPR be abolished?

[WOBBLY BOB]

...wasteful, among other reasons, because their signals are jammed by the Cuban government and their audiences are small.

well, NPR and PBS are halfway there.

[PressurePoint]

Under this standard, shouldn’t PBS and NPR be abolished?

Good point. It also claims their audiences are small ... sounds like PBS.

[PressurePoint]

So the Cuban version of Nielsen says nobody is watching? Hmmmm, I wonder how reliable that is?

It's interesting, with all the waste in the budget, what tops the list of Dem cuts.

[iopscusa]

WTH is it about the upper Midwest and electing GD Communist. The Red Farmers party lives on in Progressive/Regressive world!

[Buckeye McFrog]

Under this standard, shouldn’t PBS and NPR be abolished?

Outstanding point! If the Dems float a bill to kill Radio Marti the GOP should grow a pair and amend it to kill NPR and PBS also

[bballbob]

Russ must feel he’s in some trouble with the electorate if he has to resurrect his old mentor’s (Bill Proxmire) “Golden Fleece” awards.

I still don’t understand why my fellow cheeseheads like this guy so much, other than like all liberal politicians, he promises to give them free stuff.

Got Hope?

[syriacus]

The Democrats have fallen in a hole they dug. They are asking Republicans to get them out.

It's as though the leftists had let their farm animals out, to graze for months on a local children's soccer field.

Now it's time for the annual soccer tournament and Libs are placing announcements in newspapers, asking Republicans to round up the animals and help clean up the mess that the Leftists caused.

Democrats don't want bipartisanship.

They want the Republicans to be included in the cloud of blame for the debt recently incurred by radical leftist legislation.