FCC and Right-Wing Radio Helping U.S. Press Freedom Slip Away (Molly Ivins Alert)

Creators Syndicate via sltrib.com ^ | 02/03/2003 | Molly Ivins

[goGOP]

I once saw MS Ivins at the Rep State Convention in Ft Worth about 10 years ago, I mistook her for a homeless person in front of the convention center. All seriousness aside there were homeless people that were better groomed than she at that convention.

A couple of years ago she did a column in the local liberal rag detailing how the day she was diagnosed with breast cancer her father was also diagnosed with lung cancer & blew his brains out. After reading that column I pittied rather than loathed her.

[punster]

Moly Ivins is an absolute, utter idiot. She needs to be institutionalized, so she can be properly cared for.

[Clinging Bitterly]

The old bat quotes some Eugene academic type who would want me to mention his name, who says "There are 80 hours per week, more than 4,000 hours per year, programmed for Republican and conservative talk shows, without a single second programmed for a Democratic or liberal perspective. . ."

If you want equal time, there are ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, and MSNBC on the tube. Rush used to like to say "I AM equal time".

Dave in Eugene

[Steve_Seattle]

"the constitutional requirement . . .for the widest possible dissemination of information . . ."

Generally, I agree with her point about the negative effects of consolidation of media ownership into a few hands, but it is bulls**t to suggest this is grounded in the Constitution. If anything, the Constitution would tend to oppose government regulation of the news media, even if the ostensible purpose is to enable "diversity." If government has the power to legislate diversity, it would also have the power to legislate uniformity. It has the authority to do neither, in my opinion.

[Steve_Seattle]

"Eugene, Oregon"

Eugene is held under the spell of Rush Limbaugh? Mr. Monk has lost his mind. Eugene is one of the most liberal places in America.

[He Rides A White Horse]

We already know what happens when the free market zealots remove restrictions on ownership.

Very telling phrase...............free market proponents are called zealots.

We have a word for those who are opposed to free market principles and private ownership of property.

We call them 'communists', Molly.

[He Rides A White Horse]

She's absolutely right.

Nah.........she's completely left

[He Rides A White Horse]

In a nutshell, this witch wants to use the government to suppress ideas with which she disagrees.

In a nutshell, your post #45 is right on target.

[VRWC_minion]

The FCC is doing this in an almost covert way

If its covert, how did this info end up in a nationally syndicated column ?

[VRWC_minion]

Freedom of the press is far more prevalent now than at anytime in the history of our country

Actually the erra of two newspaper towns is gone excpet for NY and other major outlets. For most of us all that is available for a newspapers is a liberal rag. Do you think Molly or MG would be willing to trade a liberal newspaper's control over an area for an AM radio station ? I doubt it.

[jenny65]

Where is she right? Did you read her title? You honestly believe rightwing radio is taking away the freedom of the press?

It's unfortunate that Ms. Ivins chose to inject politics into the equation. If you were to ignore her references to right-wing radio, the article is right on the mark. With the existing regulations relaxed or abolished, it won't be long before ALL TV and radio is owned by one or two mega-media empires.

The remaining privately owned stations will not be able to compete, and anyone who offers an opposing viewpoint that doesn't fit into the marketing plan will be silenced. After all, it's all about ratings and advertising dollars, which is more of a driving force in what we get today than any "liberal" or "conservative" bias. Go ahead and show me otherwise.

It's a very sad state of affairs when I have to tune into the BBC to get any news from outside the United States that doesn't involve the war on terror. Fox News is a pathetic joke when it comes to real news reporting. Sure, I tune into it for debate, but that's not news, it's opinion. Again, it's all about ratings, nothing more. News as a "public service" has gone the way of Edward R. Murrow.

Oh sure, there are other sources like the internet for news, but the vast majority of Americans still get their news from TV and radio. And the thought of just a couple of corporations being in control of such a vital source of information ought to frighten all of us.

[ohioman]

Then why in the hell do you spend your time on a conservative website?

[ohioman]

One other thing, comparing my conservative leanings to the fanatical Taliban is a usual tactic used by the non-thinking left.

[Publius6961]

She's absolutely right.

How old are you?
Do you know the difference between an opinion and a fact?

An assertion of agreement and the identification of truth?

The role of ommited facts on the direction and argument can be taken?
Anything?

[mg39]

Old enough to know when I'm dealing with an arrogant, pompous ass.

[gridlock]

Reporters Without Borders Go over to their web page.

The standard pap about press freedom, etc.

One interesting note, the head of their New York Office is Tala Dowlatshahi, who works for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP)

Do you want the UN informing you on press freedom?

Amazing that it took me five minutes to turn this up on Google, but Molly Ivins couldn't be bothered.

[Lancey Howard]

Yes, Ms. Ivins is liberal, but I think we all need to remember that no side has a monopoly on the truth.

No, Bunky, but one side does seem to have a monoply on lying. Ivins is simply carrying water again for whining Democrat like Daschle and Hillary! who are disturbed by the fact that their party's own monoply has finally given way to diversity of opinion.

The scumbags controlled the House for 40 years before one lone voice in the wilderness began to give people hope and truth. Ivins is just sweating like a pig because her party's lies are so quickly and roundly exposed in the modern media. No longer are people captive dinnertime audiences to the only news they could find - - Jennings, Brokaw, and Rather. Do you remember, "More people get their news from ABC News than from any other news source"? (Shudder.)

Now, in 2003, there are options. This drives her and her ilk nuts.

[mg39]

Bunky?

Read my lips, moron: conservatives can lie too. Once you start to believe that your side is completely virtuous, while the other side is completely immoral, you cease thinking and become a fanatic. We've seen what fanatics do: nazis, Khmer Rouge, Al Queda, Stalinists, and homegrown nuts like Tim McVeigh. It's un-American, and main street, thinking conservatives like me want nothing to do with it, or you.

[BillF]

Is the free market not supposed to encourage competition rather than lead to its disappearance? The U.S. now ranks 17th, below Costa Rica and Slovenia, on the worldwide index of press freedom established by the Reporters Without Borders.

The ranking by this organization has NOTHING to do with any media domination or ownership concentration.

From the Reporters Without Borders (RWB) website:

Costa Rica better placed than the United States

The poor ranking of the United States (17th) is mainly because of the number of journalists arrested or imprisoned there. Arrests are often because they refuse to reveal their sources in court. Also, since the 11 September attacks, several journalists have been arrested for crossing security lines at some official buildings.

Although it's true that journalists in the U.S. are sometimes jailed for refusing to reveal sources, many states in the U.S. have shield laws allowing journalists to maintain confidentiality of their sources, under certain circumstances. Those states that don't have express shield laws will often allow journalists to keep sources confidential.

RWB faults the U.S. for arresting journalists for crossing police lines? They should also deduct points from the U.S. because U.S. police also give reporters speeding and parking tickets when the reporters are chasing a stories.

RWB is a France-based organization that may do some valuable work for reporters covering various despots, but their evaluation of the U.S. has no credibility.

RWB ranks France ahead of the U.S. in press freedom. France, where police seized books for national security violations because the text claimed that the late French leader Mitterand lied about his health, has much less press freedom than the U.S.