Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you.
Posted on 01/23/2026 6:12:30 AM PST by Twotone
The Federal Communications Commission said it will step up enforcement of politically driven daytime and late-night programming to ensure equal treatment for both sides of the aisle.
The three major broadcast networks were issued guidance regarding their compliance with the Communications Act of 1934’s “statutory equal opportunities requirement,” which requires equal access to broadcast station facilities for legally qualified candidates, regardless of political affiliation, the FCC announced Wednesday.
The law states that if a broadcaster allows one eligible candidate to appear or use its facilities, it must offer the same chance to every other eligible candidate for that office.
“A person is a legally qualified candidate for purposes of the FCC’s equal opportunities or equal time rule if they meet certain requirements, including having publicly announced their intention to run for office and qualifying under applicable state or federal law to hold the office being sought,” the FCC said.
While a long-running “bona fide” exemption has allowed news programming to avoid providing equal time to opposing candidates, the FCC said it has not been shown that evidence exists that interview portions of any currently airing “late night or daytime talk shows” meet that standard.
The government’s broadcast regulator cautioned that programs motivated by partisan purposes are not entitled to exemptions under longstanding precedent.
“Any program or station that wishes to obtain formal assurance that the equal opportunities requirement does not apply (in whole or in part) is encouraged to promptly file a petition for declaratory ruling that satisfies the statutory requirements for a bona fide news exemption,” the FCC said.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
|
|
Click here: to donate by Credit Card Or here: to donate by PayPal Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794 Thank you very much and God bless you. |
Yes, I voted for this. About time!
I thought they got rid of The Fairness Doctrine.
The Fairness doctrine was more a pain to us than the libs, so I wish they would leave things alone.
I believe that this applies only to candidate whereas the Fairness Doctrine applied to all advocates.
I read one study that said is was 192 to 2 over a three year period. The actual numbers don't matter. The bias is obvious. And if that airhead Behar believes that conservatives are afraid of them, why not ask Scott Jennings, JD Vance, or other knowledgeable conservatives to appear.
Not in favor of this. Let them sink or swim on their own. So what kind of ‘conservatives’ would they drum up, anyway? Do we need more Liz Cheney, John McCain, Mitt Romney clones to satisfy a meaningless regulation?
Most programs would remain unfair and unbalanced, and would then be abke to tout their inclusion of ‘both sides’. This ain’t gonna fix anything and could backfire, appearing to be more government intrusion.
I like this as a way to put the screws to networks that turn allegedly entertainment shows into Leftwing propaganda outlets, but it would never be workable if they were really trying to make it work.
Government panels or investigations, yes.
Podcasts or programs, no.
One can guess what the left will require in the name of "fairness" if this becomes law and they get back in power.
Kimmel / View / MSNOW / CNN types will cease offering free pub to donks because they won’t want to offer Rs the same platform which would be welcomed and accepted.
FOX type shows will happily offer equal platforms because most donks will refuse ....to avoid scrutiny by common sense conservatives
WIN WIN !
Ditto. I remember Rush Limbaugh covering it when the doctrine was dropped.
I’m not so sure. Why wouldn’t those broadcasts want all candidates on their show? Ask tough questions of all candidates, mock them roundly, etc.
And if they offer and candidates refuse, shows are covered.
FOX News hosts Ingraham, Waters and Hannity already give half of their programming to show Democrats, liberals, leftists, communists (but I repeat myself) behaving in ways that highlight their insanity.
True, generally when the government gets involved, things get screwed up. Not to mention when the left gets into power...
My memory is a little fuzzy on this. Rush made fun of liberals while he was on the air. He did some interviews from time to time, but it was never a bash fest. The push for the Fairness Doctrine was to counter act Rush’s show with 3 hours of Air America that flopped bigly.
The legacy media is like the dinosaurs after the speculated meteor strike of 65 million years ago, that is, well on the way to extinction. There are several podcasters, Tucker Carlson and Megan Kelly for example, with audiences that eclipse programs like The View or Jimmy Kimmel. Besides, the audience for the legacy media is almost exclusively liberals and leftists. If you impose "fairness" on them, their audiences will migrate to podcasts and blogs just as conservatives and rightists have done several years ago. In my own case, I have not watched network news or "comedy" shows for two decades. I did watch Fox News until they stabbed Trump in the back in 2020. I don't think I am atypical.
Paraphrasing Rush:
Because liberals can't win in the arena of ideas.
Winning, common sense, conservative ideas and policies are to be ignored, downplayed, hidden. They can't afford for their audiences to be exposed to such 'blasphemy'.
There goes 99% of propaganda news broadcasts good deal.
Democrats hit hardest
“Too many people in this Administration appear stuck in the last 20 years of the 20th Century.”
Correct—as well as a lot of folks here.
The game has changed. The rules have changed. The players have changed.
It is kinda hard to win when you are playing the wrong game.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.