Nothing Fair about the Fairness Doctrine

The legislation that we know as the fairness doctrine is actually the Fairness in Broadcasting Act of 1993. It's based on a similar act that took effect in 1949 but overturned in 1987 by the FCC.

The reason given was that it failed to encourage the discussion of more controversial issues (which was its original purpose). The FCC was also concerned that it was in violation of First Amendment free speech principles.

What the doctrine does is force radio stations to give equal air time to opposing views. Currently, talk radio is almost exclusively conservative.

Now that the Democrats have sole rein of the government, they are pursuing reenactment with reckless abandon.

But why is it ethically unfair? Because the case can be made that it violates the American principle of free enterprise, for one thing. Radio stations are not owned by the government, they are only licensed by the government.

They are privately or corporate owned businesses. They exist by selling ads. Advertisers only buy air time when the number of listeners warrant it.

The bottom line is that listeners are overwhelmingly conservative; that's why you only hear the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Michael Medved, and Dennis Prager.

Nobody is conspiring to keep liberals off the air waves. Americans just aren't interested in listening to it. Just as your grocery store won't stock a product that consumers won't buy. Simple economics.

Liberals have tried to enter the market with such colossal failures as Air America. You might have heard of Al Franken? He was a talk show host there before going on to be a tax cheat and to conduct "alleged" election fraud in Minnesota.

Liberal talk shows just don't sell, bottom line. The only success of note is NPR (National Public Radio). It survives by selling tote bags and funneling off your tax dollars.

If these private businesses are forced to air liberal hosts, who will pay for it? It's a clear violation of the first amendment.

So if Nancy Pelosi and her band of whiners are successful at getting the doctrine reinstated, it will be clear case of forced government propaganda. You can sugar-coat it all you want, but that's what it is.

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