The ‘Fairness Doctrine’ Myth: Right Wing Falsely Claims Progressives Want To Resurrect Mandatory Balance
The ‘Fairness Doctrine’ Myth: Right Wing Falsely Claims Progressives Want To Resurrect Mandatory Balance
Yesterday, the Center for American Progress and Free Press released a detailed statistical analysis confirming that talk radio is dominated almost exclusively by conservatives. In addition to the analysis, the report offers remedies for correcting this imbalance.
Several right-wing bloggers are now attacking progressives for advocating the reinstitution of the Fairness Doctrine, which required broadcasters to devote airtime to important and controversial issues and to provide contrasting views on these issues in some form. Michelle Malkin titled her post on our report “Fairness Doctrine Watch” and Sister Toldjah posted information on how fight back “against this attempted resurrection of the Fairness Doctrine.” Similarly, the National Review Online’s Jonah Goldberg wrote:
Does anyone really believe liberals would even entertain this renewed passion for the fairness doctrine if talk radio were overwhelmingly liberal? It just strikes me as so transparently opportunistic and unprincipled. If a conservative were to argue that the state should get involved in making Hollywood, or the biggest newspapers, or the broadcast news networks, or leading museums, publishing houses, or universities less liberal, liberals would justifiably scream bloody murder about censorship and propaganda.
Actually, the report does not argue that the Fairness Doctrine should be resurrected. It specifically states that the Fairness Doctrine likely would not correct the imbalance in talk radio. Additionally, serious concerns are raised by the FCC explicitly reviewing and regulating radio content or speech. From the report:
[T]he Fairness Doctrine was never, by itself, an effective tool to ensure the fair discussion of important issues. The Fairness Doctrine was most effective as part of a regulatory structure that limited license terms to three years, subjected broadcasters to license challenges through comparative hearings, required notice to the local community that licenses were going to expire, and empowered the local community through a process of interviewing a variety of local leaders. Added to this regulatory structure was the cooperation of the broadcast industry through the National Association of Broadcasters Code of Conduct
Simply reinstating the Fairness Doctrine will do little to address the gap between conservative and progressive talk unless the underlying elements of the public trustee doctrine are enforced, in particular, the requirements of local accountability and the reasonable airing of important matters.
The report argues instead that we should address the more significant problem of concentrated ownership and ineffective regulation in order to push the market structure to better meet local needs. As report co-author John Halpin stated, “If we break up concentrated ownership, and encourage greater local accountability over radio licensing, and still end up with lots of conservative talk, then so be it. We don’t think this will happen but at least the playing field would have been made more level.”
The CAP/Free Press report argues for more speech, not less. Conservatives should get their facts straight before blindly attacking others.
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transparently opportunistic and unprincipled, eh? then what the hell would they call conservapedia?
June 21st, 2007 at 9:04 pmWait a tick, did TP and Drug-ed Report fabricate this controvesy???
June 21st, 2007 at 9:05 pmPerfect!!! Well said, TP.
June 21st, 2007 at 9:05 pmUh-oh…get ready for another 3000+ post thread, TP…
June 21st, 2007 at 9:09 pmNo, Primus.
June 21st, 2007 at 9:09 pmMethinks they doth protest too much.
These initial conservative reactions imply a facility to immediately attack any perceived attempts to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine, as some commenters have periodically advocated.
June 21st, 2007 at 9:12 pmSnarky, that is because conservatives are skerrrrrd. They really don’t have any balls.
June 21st, 2007 at 9:16 pmTP,
Your study is bullsh!t.
Your approach would seek to go through years of restructuring the ownership of media.
That’s a bunch of crap!!
A simple reinstatement of the fairness doctrine (we all own the airwaves) would be the VERY BEST and quickest solution here.
Your study sucks!!!
Are you guys/gals on the side of the people or the money?????????????
June 21st, 2007 at 9:17 pmSo the shorter version if this is Republicans, because they are corrupt and rich and cronies, are better able to control the media through their power.
Yeah, they need an equalizer. If Verizon can come bury cable in my front yard without my permission then there had better be some balance somewhere.
June 21st, 2007 at 9:18 pmConservatives should get their facts straight before blindly attacking others.
With all due respect, Amanda, this is pure wishful thinking.
It only takes a cursory glance at the Talk Radio thread to realise most of the posts by those so-called conservatives are little more then angry tirades filled with personal insults, strawman arguments, and flat out lies.
Conservative Bush cult followers are not known for their proclivity to stick to the facts. Or to correct English spelling and grammar, for that matter.
June 21st, 2007 at 9:22 pmI agree dixie-blood, the answer is to regulate again. Everybody (other than the 28%) knows that it was better before de-regulation. And for you 28% check out any journalist that has excoriated the media for their ridiculous pre-war claims (hint: they are buying the same crap you are about Iran). Why don’t we just clone Judy Miller a thousand times and have her and another thousand Curveballs (throw in a thousand Chalabis) and we can…have the same media we do now.
June 21st, 2007 at 9:23 pmI agree with JPark and dixie, regulation was better.
June 21st, 2007 at 9:33 pmConservatives never let facts get in the way of their hate speech. Isn’t it odd how most of them claim to be Christians. The hate and intolerance of the right-wing seems to be an important part of their cherished “family values”.
June 21st, 2007 at 9:35 pmZoo, if the xenophobic righties actually thought about it they would not be all that happy about an Aussie pushing our news. But…they aren’t the thoughtful type.
June 21st, 2007 at 9:36 pmWilly, I feel sorry for the average Christian. They are too darned stupid to realize they are being used to make money for the big “Christians”
June 21st, 2007 at 9:37 pmConservatives never let facts get in the way of their hate speech. Isn’t it odd how most of them claim to be Christians. The hate and intolerance of the right-wing seems to be an important part of their cherished “family valuesâ€.
Comment by Willy
As was clear last evening, Conservative = hatefilled.
June 21st, 2007 at 9:38 pmJPark – Well said. Rupert has often said his goal is to create the US into his vision of how the world should be, and his money helps him get there.
June 21st, 2007 at 9:38 pmWilly, I feel sorry for the average Christian. They are too darned stupid to realize they are being used to make money for the big “Christiansâ€
Comment by JPark
I don’t feel sorry for any of them JPark. They deserve everything they get and they are the ones who deserve the government we have not us.
June 21st, 2007 at 9:40 pmEveryone needs to run out and buy (if they haven’t already) a copy of Ben Bagdikian’s book, The Media Monopoly. He originally wrote it in 1983 and described the consolidation of the mass media into fewer and fewer hands. What had been (counting print, radio, even television) a broad spectrum of opinion and information had begun to devolve into a highly concentrated marketing machine designed to keep consumers cheerful and, well, cheerfully consuming. He was ignored and marginalized and nearly 25 years later we are seeing the results he predicted, long after there was any real remedy.
The flexible tubes on the innernets provide an opportunity, maybe, to avoid the worst fate, but I wouldn’t bet on it. Anyway, the TiVo has last night’s episode of Rescue Me queued up and then I’ve got some shopping to do.
June 21st, 2007 at 9:43 pmActually, shane, I was being magnanimous. I despise them!!!
June 21st, 2007 at 9:43 pmliberals hate free speech
June 21st, 2007 at 9:45 pmZoo, if the xenophobic righties actually thought about it they would not be all that happy about an Aussie pushing our news. But…they aren’t the thoughtful type.
Comment by JPark
Thinking is scary, and might lead one out of one’s safety zone. I’d hate to be shackled like that.
June 21st, 2007 at 9:49 pmI’m all for freak speech
June 21st, 2007 at 9:50 pm“It just strikes me as so transparently opportunistic and unprincipled.”
Yeah, teach us about principles, you freekin’ Fascist pig.
June 21st, 2007 at 9:50 pmJPark – Well said. Rupert has often said his goal is to create the US into his vision of how the world should be, and his money helps him get there.
Comment by upside00 — June 21, 2007 @ 9:38 pm
Murdoch also was videotaped stating that he had deliberately pushed Bush’s Iraq war agenda. And with all those media outlets reaching most of the U.S., well, obviously he did a really good job of it. That bast*rd!
June 21st, 2007 at 9:52 pmWe probably ought to get our comments in, before this turns into another wingnut freakshow.
June 21st, 2007 at 9:54 pm“…xenophobic righties…aren’t the thoughtful type.”
Comment by JPark — June 21, 2007 @ 9:36 pm
Thinking hurts their little brains.
June 21st, 2007 at 9:55 pm“liberals hate free speech”
Chris, do you understand the total moronic hypocrisy of you saying that here on TP? I really hope so but I doubt it.
June 21st, 2007 at 9:55 pmMurdoch also was videotaped stating that he had deliberately pushed Bush’s Iraq war agenda. And with all those media outlets reaching most of the U.S., well, obviously he did a really good job of it. That bast*rd!
Comment by Jane E. Schneider
Holy shit. Does that make him a war criminal? It should.
June 21st, 2007 at 9:56 pmThinking hurts their little brains.
Comment by Jane E. Schneider
They’re Gumbies. “My brain hurts!”
June 21st, 2007 at 9:57 pmChris, try saying something left-wing or even moderate on one of your favorite blogs. I dare you (if they even allow comments).
June 21st, 2007 at 9:57 pmonce again, lets all have a great discussion and while we are at it, two things will occur. Rome will burn to the ground and jan9 09 will pass us by.
June 21st, 2007 at 9:58 pmSo, screw you all- stop bullshitting. you are all not worth the goddamned time.
So, screw you all- stop bullshitting. you are all not worth the goddamned time.
Comment by billjpa
Always a pleasure to have you join us, billjpa….
June 21st, 2007 at 9:59 pmOkay. Here’s my blanket statement before the S hits the F: Neocons, conservatives, and Republic Party members (except a fraction of Ron Paul), are evil, hate-filled, war-mongering, racist, fascist, intellectually dishonest trators to America.
Liberals/Progressives are good. Those who act to protect America are better than good – they’re great.
June 21st, 2007 at 10:00 pm“So, screw you all- stop bullshitting. you are all not worth the goddamned time.”
Thanks for coming by bill. Not sure why you actually posted though.
June 21st, 2007 at 10:02 pmLOL, smafdy, a fraction of Ron Paul. I like that.
June 21st, 2007 at 10:02 pmOkay. Here’s my blanket statement before the S hits the F: Neocons, conservatives, and Republic Party members (except a fraction of Ron Paul), are evil, hate-filled, war-mongering, racist, fascist, intellectually dishonest trators to America.
Comment by smafdy — June 21, 2007 @ 10:00 pm
The RNC Troll Dept. ™ fully endorses this statement.
June 21st, 2007 at 10:03 pmHoly shit. Does that make him a war criminal? It should.
Comment by Zooey — June 21, 2007 @ 9:56 pm
At best, it makes him an admitted propagandist. I’ll bet that if you checked Keith Olbermann’s archives, the video should be there. Unfortunately, I don’t remember how long ago he aired it – sometime this year, anyway. I’ll see if Wayne remembers when it was.
June 21st, 2007 at 10:04 pmNothing that the rightwingers say now matters. No one is listening…. LOL
June 21st, 2007 at 10:04 pm——————–
I’m so sick of this “Left vs. Right” bullshit.
WAKE UP PEOPLE!
It’s an illusion to keep you distracted from what the people who control both parties (puppet masters) are really doing.
Day in and day out. Left vs. Right.
You are American that is all. Start being Americans and renounce this foolish Left vs. Right Bullshit!
It is one massive good cop / bad cop propaganda routine to purposely keep you distracted.
ENOUGH!
——————–
June 21st, 2007 at 10:05 pmThat swarm last night was impressive. Does that happen often? It was like watching this huge mass of frantic, rabid lemmings all chanting the same insane gibberish in lockstep, for hours…
June 21st, 2007 at 10:06 pmliberals hate free speech
Comment by Chris — June 21, 2007 @ 9:45 pm
Well, well.
A straggler…
Chris, your thread is on yesterday’s page… scroll down…
June 21st, 2007 at 10:06 pm#15 Comment by JPark — June 21, 2007 @ 9:37 pm
Willy, I feel sorry for the average Christian. They are too darned stupid to realize they are being used to make money for the big “Christiansâ€
Well, the real problem is not what we get to put up with, i.e. stupidity. The real problem is that they are scared to death (OF death really,) and the “stupidity” flows from that.
They react to all they hear preached from the pulpit and the black… er white house. Fire and damnation, sinner, hell, and then mushroom clouds and terrorists, (and orange alerts keep them jacked up on adrenaline so they can’t relax.) So, its “Here is my soul! Just save and protect me. And buddy, don’t anybody try and take away my safety and security blanket called the church and big daddy bush.”
Under this scenario, the only thing they have protecting them from the truth, and us sticking reality in their ear is blind faith (la, la la, I can’t hear you.) Threaten that faith and you get anger back in return.
June 21st, 2007 at 10:07 pmThey’re Gumbies. “My brain hurts!â€
Comment by Zooey — June 21, 2007 @ 9:57 pm
Yep, those darn bricks!:D
June 21st, 2007 at 10:08 pmActually, shane, I was being magnanimous. I despise them!!!
Comment by JPark
I know, I know. You are just too charitable sometimes ; )
June 21st, 2007 at 10:09 pm#40 Comment by jonny — June 21, 2007 @ 10:05 pm
It is one massive good cop / bad cop propaganda routine to purposely keep you distracted.
ENOUGH!
OK jonny, you had your rant. Now tell us your solution!
June 21st, 2007 at 10:10 pmliberals hate free speech
Comment by Chris
That’s right, so why don’t you just shut the f*ck up!
June 21st, 2007 at 10:10 pm“You are American that is all. Start being Americans and renounce this foolish Left vs. Right Bullshit”
You are SOOOOO right. It is actually the right wing neo-con scum vs the American people. Somehow I don’t think that is what you meant. If that is the case you are full of it.
June 21st, 2007 at 10:10 pmThat swarm last night was impressive. Does that happen often? It was like watching this huge mass of frantic, rabid lemmings all chanting the same insane gibberish in lockstep, for hours…
Comment by The Republic of Stupidity — June 21, 2007 @ 10:06 pm
Whoa, what did I miss? Which thread? I didn’t get home until about 8:30, and was too tired by the time I finished the mass cat-feeding, etc., to start getting into posting. Was it worse than ‘Kilo Saturday’?
June 21st, 2007 at 10:11 pm“I know, I know. You are just too charitable sometimes ; )”
LOL, shane, sometimes I feel so evil and pissy. Nice to know you don’t see me that way!!! Heh.
June 21st, 2007 at 10:12 pmComment by PRIMVS INTER PARES — June 21, 2007 @ 10:06 pm
Hey, there, thought I recognized that scent: “Eau de PIP” (which is kinda funny anyway, one of our cats is named Pip.) :-D
June 21st, 2007 at 10:14 pm#32 Comment by billjpa — June 21, 2007 @ 9:58 pm
once again, lets all have a great discussion and while we are at it, two things will occur. Rome will burn to the ground and jan9 09 will pass us by.
So, screw you all- stop bullshitting. you are all not worth the goddamned time.
Thank you for your entertaining diatribe. Please visit us again soon. Oh, and don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.
June 21st, 2007 at 10:14 pm“Uh-oh…get ready for another 3000+ post thread”
on the bright side, there’s not much to mop up after an impotent circle jerk
June 21st, 2007 at 10:14 pmWhoa, what did I miss? Which thread? I didn’t get home until about 8:30, and was too tired by the time I finished the mass cat-feeding, etc., to start getting into posting. Was it worse than ‘Kilo Saturday’?
Comment by Jane E. Schneider
Go over to the thread on Con domination of talk radio from yesterday. There were like 3000 posts done. Just one shrill, vitriolic, hate-filled screed after another for hours. Rather bizarre. As PiP said at one point, it appeared to be a professional hit.
June 21st, 2007 at 10:15 pm#26 & 27 “…xenophobic righties…aren’t the thoughtful type.â€
Comment by JPark — June 21, 2007 @ 9:36 pm
Thinking hurts their little brains.
Comment by Jane E. Schneider — June 21, 2007 @ 9:55 pm
A think a check of the wingnut dictionary will show there is no entry for the word “think”. er… Do they even have a dictionary?
June 21st, 2007 at 10:19 pmon the bright side, there’s not much to mop up after an impotent circle jerk
Comment by Mike
Yeah, but what about all the other body fluids and parts that crowd left lying around? It does appear that most of it did come from humans, but some of those folks really need to check out their diets.
June 21st, 2007 at 10:19 pmkinda funny anyway, one of our cats is named Pip.) :-D
Comment by Jane E. Schneider — June 21, 2007 @ 10:14 pm
I’m sure he’s a gentleman of great expectations.
June 21st, 2007 at 10:19 pm#53 Comment by Mike — June 21, 2007 @ 10:14 pm
on the bright side, there’s not much to mop up after an impotent circle jerk
HaaaaHaaaaHaaaa
Wonderful visual of the tremendous straining into exhaustion followed by blue balls.
June 21st, 2007 at 10:21 pmThat swarm last night was impressive. Does that happen often? It was like watching this huge mass of frantic, rabid lemmings all chanting the same insane gibberish in lockstep, for hours…
Comment by The Republic of Stupidity
Here in Chicago the cicadas are swarming, they are flying insects that show up every 17 years. They make a ton of cricket-type noise but do nothing else, they don’t eat and they don’t bite. They fly around aimlessly, self-destructing, but there are tons of them. Just like the idiots that showed up yesterday.
June 21st, 2007 at 10:22 pmHow do you use Facts and Conservatives in the same sentence? This does not compute.
Just about everything was better under regulation. Our electric grid is in serious need of updating and what happened in the northeast and up into Toronto a few years ago was a wake up call. What happened then? Imagine what life would be like without electricity.
While you’re at it, imagine Iraq. Little electricity. Little gas. Limited sewage services.
Leave it to our good government to f*ck up a bunch that country and ours (ours will just be a slower death).
June 21st, 2007 at 10:23 pmThat swarm last night was impressive. Does that happen often? It was like watching this huge mass of frantic, rabid lemmings all chanting the same insane gibberish in lockstep, for hours…
Comment by The Republic of Stupidity
Sorry, you only get one rodent analogy per thread. We’ve already cackled elsewhere about the chipmunk circle jerk. Quit while you’re ahead!
June 21st, 2007 at 10:24 pm#56 Comment by The Republic of Stupidity — June 21, 2007 @
Yeah, but what about all the other body fluids and parts that crowd left lying around? It does appear that most of it did come from humans, but some of those folks really need to check out their diets.
Humans?? These are trolls we are talking about. They leave this kind mess every where they go.
June 21st, 2007 at 10:24 pmWell, well.
A straggler…
Chris, your thread is on yesterday’s page… scroll down…
Comment by PRIMVS INTER PARES — June 21, 2007 @ 10:06 pm
Well PIP I have to give you props for your empathy last evening on said thread. And today, well you seem like a changed man. Did you have an epiphany?
June 21st, 2007 at 10:24 pmSo let the 28 % ‘rs have their medium. We gots the internets!
Really no news that righties rule AM radio- they have for years. So what! Rush, Sean, et al are burning themselves out on their own. Their listening audience is pretty much down to the lunatic fringe. I know many old folks who are FORMER devotees…they woke up. The kool-aids wearing off quickly. The pendulum will swing on its own. Only a matter of time until the advertisers catch on.
What might be needed is a better radio personality than Al Frankin (and types). People who can make folks feel like well informed “Great Americans†for standing up to things like constitution abuses and run away power/corruption.
Gore/Feingold indie ticket!
June 21st, 2007 at 10:25 pmA think a check of the wingnut dictionary will show there is no entry for the word “thinkâ€. er… Do they even have a dictionary?
Comment by Merlin
They don’t think, they cut and paste.
June 21st, 2007 at 10:27 pmWell PIP I have to give you props for your empathy last evening on said thread. And today, well you seem like a changed man. Did you have an epiphany?
Comment by shane
Or, I dunno, a lobotomy? Colostomy?
June 21st, 2007 at 10:27 pmSPREAD THE WORD: Bush is now officially known as “Mr. 26%!”
June 21st, 2007 at 10:27 pmSPREAD THE WORD: Bush is now officially known as “Mr. 26%.”
SPREAD THE WORD: Bush is now officially known as “Mr. 26%.”
SPREAD THE WORD: Bush is now officially known as “Mr. 26%.”
#59
They’re still showin up! Rush and Sean must have let the fringe loose. Cool-some might stick around long enough learn something.
June 21st, 2007 at 10:28 pmI’m sure he’s a gentleman of great expectations.
Comment by PRIMVS INTER PARES — June 21, 2007 @ 10:19 pm
SHE has three 8-week-old kittens, so she currently has no “expectations.” At least, she’d better not! ;-)
June 21st, 2007 at 10:29 pmHumans?? These are trolls we are talking about. They leave this kind mess every where they go.
Comment by Merlin
Righto, Merlin… let’s hook the hose up, open the tap, and wash the place out…
June 21st, 2007 at 10:31 pmLet’s get those windows open… geez, look at the rug. It’s gonna have to go.
They’re still showin up! Rush and Sean must have let the fringe loose. Cool-some might stick around long enough learn something.
Comment by Mycelium
I was thinking the same thing. But I believe we are being extremely opimistic.
June 21st, 2007 at 10:33 pmComment by shane — June 21, 2007 @ 10:24 pm
Nah, I just thought it was weird. They all did have the same talking points!!! I thought that was just something that you guys said. Anyway, there is no point in post on that thread because your name gets stolen in 2min.
The whole situation is bizarre.
June 21st, 2007 at 10:36 pmThey all did have the same talking points!!! I thought that was just something that you guys said.
Comment by PRIMVS INTER PARES
Wow, I’m speechless. You are a troll of a different color to me now.
June 21st, 2007 at 10:40 pmThe whole situation is bizarre.
Comment by PRIMVS INTER PARES
Ya got that straight. Very, very bizarre.
All this talk about the Fairness Doctrine, which, BTW, was deep-sixed by Ole Ronnie Ray-gun, sure got the lemmings all stirred up.
June 21st, 2007 at 10:41 pm#70 Optimism is good…if 1 or 2 wake up it’s worth it.
I’ve been thinking about who some of these now 26 % (?!) might be. They’re certainly not all religious kooks or ditto heads. I must say I honestly don’t know how I’d feel if I had a kid in the military. I might be a bit susceptible to this phony patriotism spewed by right wing radio. Denial of the truth the problem for some?
June 21st, 2007 at 10:47 pmSo, what’s wrong with enforcing the Fairness Doctrine? Seems like a good idea–unless you’re an unprincipled neocon pundit. Can you say Rush Limpbaugh?
June 21st, 2007 at 10:50 pmGOPers are dirty hypocrites, so nothing more needs to be said about it.
June 21st, 2007 at 10:52 pmHonestly, shane, Primus is ok. Wrong most of the time, but ok.
June 21st, 2007 at 10:57 pmMycelium, I just have to change that a little…Feingold/Gore (I know, it is only a dream).
June 21st, 2007 at 10:58 pmMr Pip’s problem is that he’s starting to like us. :D
June 21st, 2007 at 10:59 pmWiki says this about the fairness doctrine.
“It has been routinely criticized by conservatives in the media as a means of keeping their views from being expressed or of deliberately cutting their available air time in half.”
The way this reads to me is that the “conservatives in the media” are admitting that they don’t allow ANY other views but their own to be aired.
Sounds about right to me, right, FauxNonNews and R. Murdoch?
June 21st, 2007 at 11:01 pmCan you say Rush Limpbaugh?
Comment by teak
Don’t forget the “drug-addled” part there, feller…an unprincipled, DRUG-ADDLED neocon pundit…
June 21st, 2007 at 11:02 pmKnuckle dragging troglodytes of the 26%tile. How low will these dumbasses go?
June 21st, 2007 at 11:03 pmIt wasn’t only last night – it was all of yesterday. The troll fur and feces was flying. Hundreds of posts that got waaay out of hand (some kind of sub-primal, tribal phenomenon). It was silly, nasty, funny, and repugnant, but it was still pretty fun.
June 21st, 2007 at 11:06 pmRegulate and give the 26%ers FAUXNOIZ and the lard assed, drug addled, gas bag to have for their own. Everybody knows they mean nothing to real people.
June 21st, 2007 at 11:10 pmThat talk radio thread is over 3400 now. :-D
June 21st, 2007 at 11:10 pmThey all did have the same talking points!!! I thought that was just something that you guys said.
Comment by PRIMVS INTER PARES
Actually, the useless hour I spent over on Little Green Footballs was just like this thread, only now they brought it over here. As I noted at that time:
“There was not a comment among the hundred I read that disagreed. It read like one big circle jerk, all smashing Murtha PERSONALLY, the left as moonbats, or “preying” that Cheney would act soon on Iran. The only productive discussion was an off topic one, on how to best upgrade your aging PC computer.”
Yes, the cut and paste genius of the trolls is a joy to behold. Without forcefed neocon talking points there would be a wonderful silence from the under the bridge dwellers.
June 21st, 2007 at 11:12 pmUm… Jane,
I hope that your link to Wayne’s blog doesn’t attract any unwanted visitors from the “Right-Wing Radio” thread.
June 21st, 2007 at 11:14 pmMr Pip’s problem is that he’s starting to like us. :D
Comment by Zooey — June 21, 2007 @ 10:59 pm
Now you’re just starting to project human emotions on me!
June 21st, 2007 at 11:16 pm:P
June 21st, 2007 at 11:16 pmJane, my computer crashed, what is Wayne’s site called?
June 21st, 2007 at 11:17 pmMerlin,
June 21st, 2007 at 11:18 pmI agree.
The Republican Party must be banned.
Only the Democrats must be allowed to operate.
In fact we should get rid of Elections and just let the Democrats run everything!
#78 (We have the best Senator in the nation- I live in Wisco too- north central via Detroit Mi.) Too bad he announced he wouldn’t run. Russ kinda gave up after he brought up censure. As you know, the dems left him standing with his d**k in hand.
June 21st, 2007 at 11:18 pmIt wasn’t only last night – it was all of yesterday. The troll fur and feces was flying. Hundreds of posts that got waaay out of hand (some kind of sub-primal, tribal phenomenon). It was silly, nasty, funny, and repugnant, but it was still pretty fun.
Comment by smafdy — June 21, 2007 @ 11:06 pm
I went over there and posted a few comments. Someone hijacked one of my posts, altered it, and used my name. F*ck that noise! What a bunch of as$wipes!
June 21st, 2007 at 11:21 pmJPark, click on my name.
June 21st, 2007 at 11:21 pmJPark, Wayne says hang on a few minutes, he’s posting something new on his site.
June 21st, 2007 at 11:22 pmUm… Jane,
I hope that your link to Wayne’s blog doesn’t attract any unwanted visitors from the “Right-Wing Radio†thread.
Comment by PRIMVS INTER PARES — June 21, 2007 @ 11:14 pm
Uh, yeah, I thought of that a little too late. I’m just trusting that they’re too stupid and too angry to go there.
June 21st, 2007 at 11:24 pmYes, you certainly do have the best senator in the country. I live in IL and I call Feingold on a regular basis to ask him to run. A politician with real values and ethics…not the kind of values that trickle down (you know, the trickle down Jesus concept…get rich so you can, uhm, get richer).
Please don’t trickle down on me, though. If it looks like piss and smells like piss….
June 21st, 2007 at 11:26 pmAhhh, thanks Jane!!! I am still hoping the Crew plays the Mets in the NLCS :) I am checking your site now.
June 21st, 2007 at 11:26 pmAll that troll noise echoed the exact spew of Rush & Sean…go figure.
“You people”, “hate filled liberals”, “liberal media”, “Marxists”, etc. In every one of their posts you could hear a bit of the gas-bags. Too bad Al Frankin kinda sucked.
June 21st, 2007 at 11:26 pmThe Republican oparty should be banned.
June 21st, 2007 at 11:30 pmWe need a one party state!
Now you’re just starting to project human emotions on me!
Comment by PRIMVS INTER PARES
Confusing statement, Mr PiP… do we take it as meaning you don’t feel human emotions, OR, that you’re not human?
And if you’re not human, what kind of emotions do you feel?
June 21st, 2007 at 11:31 pmAhhh, thanks Jane!!! I am still hoping the Crew plays the Mets in the NLCS :) I am checking your site now.
Comment by JPark — June 21, 2007 @ 11:26 pm
The way the Mets are playing, they’ll be lucky to make it that far! And it’s really Wayne’s site. It’ll be more ‘ours’ once I get a chance to put up some photos and stuff. That’s if the angry right-wing trolls don’t trash it!
June 21st, 2007 at 11:32 pmLocal ownership with corporate conglomerates being allowed to own fewer stations without the fairness doctrine/equal time being reinstated will just mean that more corporations will enter the media business with the same conservative perspective that exists now and favors corporations’ rights over people’s rights.
Both the Republican and Democratic parties pander to the corporations. We don’t have time to fix our democracy incrementally, to make little changes and then stand back to see if it works before changing something else. We need all out action on many fronts, including election reform (voting machines with paper receipts), totally publicly financed elections, ‘corporate personhood’ overturned, the League of Women Voters back running presidential candidate debates, closing down the federal funding of faith-based organizations, single-payer universal health care, and many other reforms that the Democratic majority in Congress and Democratic presidential candidates aren’t interested in.
Democratic voters have got to make some decisions, beginning with us setting the agenda and not letting the candidates tell us what we should be interested in.
June 21st, 2007 at 11:32 pm#97
I’ve talked to his office about it too…something tells me he could be talked into a VP run.
June 21st, 2007 at 11:34 pmNow you’re just starting to project human emotions on me!
Comment by PRIMVS INTER PARES
Good. My evil plan is working….. :)
June 21st, 2007 at 11:38 pmTroglodytes need someone to give them talking points. They cannot think for themselves.
June 21st, 2007 at 11:39 pmComment by Merlin — June 21, 2007 @ 11:12 pm
A whole hour at LGF? *shudder*
Did you get banned?
June 21st, 2007 at 11:40 pm“The way the Mets are playing, they’ll be lucky to make it that far! And it’s really Wayne’s site. It’ll be more ‘ours’ once I get a chance to put up some photos and stuff. That’s if the angry right-wing trolls don’t trash it!”
Yeah, the Mets are not doing so well but if their pitching can hold up they win the East. I called that the Braves would win but we will see (Andruw Jones is not good). Honestly, if you get popular, right wing losers will trash your site.
June 21st, 2007 at 11:56 pmDamn! I had to go to “contact us” and ask TP if they can delete the fake “Jane E. Schneider” posts on the 3400+ thread. I sincerely hope that whoever’s doing that gets banned.
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:01 amJane, you are getting troll fakes?
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:14 am“Right Wing Falsely Claims Progressives Want To Resurrect Mandatory Balance”
Heh, heh, heh. Good one TP. Maybe if you just pretend that you aren’t trying to force radio stations to air progessive views, people will fall for it. Stranger things have happened. I keep tellin ya, call up Soros and have him finance a libbie loon station like Murdoch did with Fox. Oh wait, he’d be a little too controversial wouldn’t he. Regular folks might turn on him and you’d be left to explain why you failed. Yeah, better to use the government to force your viewpoint on the air since the free market won’t support ya. Carry on. ;)
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:23 amupright left, if you want not to be ignored say something intelligent.
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:24 amComment by JPark — June 22, 2007 @ 12:24 am
JPark, it’s killing me to be ignored by you! Even you can’t deny that mandatory balance is exactly what progressives are seeking. Unless you have no interest in maintaining any semblance of integrity. ;)
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:39 amI keep tellin ya, call up Soros and have him finance a libbie loon station like Murdoch did with Fox. Oh wait, he’d be a little too controversial wouldn’t he. Regular folks might turn on him and you’d be left to explain why you failed.
What’s the controversy with Soros?
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:53 amJPark, it’s killing me to be ignored by you! Even you can’t deny that mandatory balance is exactly what progressives are seeking. Unless you have no interest in maintaining any semblance of integrity. ;) Comment by upright left — June 22, 2007 @ 12:39 am
No, what’s killing you, is your ignorance and st*pidity.
What’s killing us, is having watch the wreck, that is you and your life.
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:24 amFine, whatever, upright left. You still say nothing.
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:24 amInsider trading, speculation leading to serious financial problems in foreign markets, financing the legal defense of a terrorist, hiding money in foreign countries to avoid taxation (Halliburton did it too! TP blasted Halliburton for it.) Buying serious access to Democratic leadership
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:30 amTripMaster Monkey I think your Girls Hillary and Babra ( SIC ) have awaken a Sleeping Giant , well they have screwed up Fella
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:36 amupright left, you are saying nothing. Insider trading, speculation financing the legal defense of a terrorist? Sounds like Fred Thompson.
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:38 amHillary and Babra? Dude, you need help.
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:38 amComment by ValiantVenusGrewFromUranus — June 22, 2007 @ 1:24 am
So very nice to hear from ya anus. Your words of wisdom are always appreciated!
——
Fine, whatever, upright left. You still say nothing.
Comment by JPark — June 22, 2007 @ 1:24 am
Perhaps I say nothing, but I noticed you had no defense for the subject of this thread. I’ll take that as a concession. Glad to see ya admit what TP foolishly tries to deny. ;)
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:39 amJPark and why would you be inclined to think that I need Help ? Clinton and Boxer both know that it is imperative that they shut down Conservative Talk Radio , and you do too.
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:46 amSounds like Fred Thompson.
Comment by JPark — June 22, 2007 @ 1:38 am
Then ya need to listen a little more carefully, buddy!
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:51 amHarry, if you want to talk about Clinton and Boxer…you go right ahead.
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:57 amupright left, who are you following?
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:57 amFred Thompson. I just fricking LOVE him on Law and Order.
June 22nd, 2007 at 2:24 amHey, JPark, I was over at the (now) 3800+ thread, what a bunch of whacko trolls, name-stealing all over the place. Everyone was getting name-jacked. What a mess! I saw barfly there briefly and warned him about it.
Gotta go to bed–see you all tomorrow!
June 22nd, 2007 at 2:40 amSorry, Jane, it seems I am unhappy with your hubby, right now. I hate going against supposed progressives!!!!
June 22nd, 2007 at 2:43 amThis sucks big time but Wayne is no liberal. I don’t know about Jane but Wayne sucks.
June 22nd, 2007 at 2:49 amSorry, JPark, and after you “apologized” to him and all! ;-) I’ll have to go back and read what you guys were arguing about–which thread? I’ll have to check it out tomorrow, it’s waaayyy late here. You may want to consider reading a bit more of his blog, you can get a better sense of where he’s coming from (and not just the song parodies.) He does have strong opinions, but is always willing to listen and is capable of rethinking them. Even I have disagreed with him on some things, and, once I explain my logic for my opinions, he will, more often than not, come around. Or, at least, understand and respect why I feel a certain way. At worst, he will agree to disagree and will still respect the person he is disagreeing with. After all, we can’t all agree on everything. Try not to lose any sleep over it! :D
See you tomorrow!
June 22nd, 2007 at 3:00 amJane, I am sorry. I am not real interested in his Ron Paulishness. I may be a jerk for it but I am not interested in His interest.
June 22nd, 2007 at 3:16 amBy comment 30 or so, Spudge_Boy had broken out into a tirade of profanity and name calling. Add in Jihadi, barfly, Aztlan, ValiantAnus and it was nothing childish name calling, trolling, and profanity. And these were the active people defending the progressive point of view. I read maybe 2500 posts and I didn’t once see one of them try to make any clarifications in regard to the Fairness Doctrine. They were predominately arguing for it. So maybe someone ought to educate the progressives that hang out here also.
And, yes, I realize there was impersonation going on due to the structure of the comment tagging. And because of that, it’s impossible to tell who actually hangs at this site and who doesn’t. But I really did read enough posts to get a feel for who was real and who wasn’t [aside from the possibility that some of the names above might have been the same person].
Not that these linear, non-AJAX’d forums are terribly conducive to conversational flow. Not a specific indictment of this site… just sayin’ – I find them a bit of a hassle to wade through, regardless of the site.
June 22nd, 2007 at 3:21 amAt the risk of getting hammered on here, I should probably at least add a bit onto #132.
barfly was actually mildly reasonable – initially I asked him if he was drunk just because he was being pretty incoherent. But coherency seemed to improve over time. PiP started out reasonable but then completely changed which makes me think it wasn’t him anymore. Republic of Stupidity was at least entertaining. And papa bear…. well – honestly – all I could imagine was somebody in a black beret on stage snapping his fingers with a bongo accompanying him.
So it’s not like everyone was being childish on the progressive side. My apologies for the exaggeration. It was just like watching a giant train wreck occurring. I felt a bit rooted in place watching it unfold.
And kudos to Jane for at least attempting to reel in Splooge_Boy early on. Didn’t actually help, but at least you made the effort. I was a bit disappointed that you were gone by the time I showed up as I was thinking you might be the only one who would engage in a reasonably civil discussion [of the posts that I saw up to the point].
June 22nd, 2007 at 3:59 amWhat a canard! The Fairness Doctrine functioned very well indeed, REQUIRING news programs to deliver both sides of issues.
ThinkProgress doesn’t want to support a new Fairness Doctrine, that’s TP’s problem. It’s something we used to have, and it would have stopped the lying to America that lubricated the illegal attack on Iraq.
Rightwing radio stations commonly violate FCC decency standards with impunity, claiming first amendment rights. That’s a secondary problem to news programs, but hate speech is not a first amendment right.
TP wants to focus on ownership, but at this point the issue is STANDARDS. How many stations a person or company owns — that’s a diversity issue — but HOWEVER LARGE OR SMALL, if they broadcast hate-speech that’s a public affairs issue of FAR greater immediate danger to society.
We have a right to be protected from GROSS LIES from news media, and from hate-speech, certainly on any publically-broadcast media.
June 22nd, 2007 at 5:21 amOnce again your a bunch of lying sacks of sh!t. This is exactly what you people want. You want to censor conservative views because no one want to listen to liberal ones.
Would you want NPR and the rest of the liberal media to have to give 50% of its time to opposing views? Actually it would benefit you. If Air-Head America had conservative talk it might get ratings.
Yesterday you “progressives†(elitist liberals) tried to say you’re more intelligent and use computers more than listen to AM radio and that it why it Talk Radio is dominated by poor illiterate conservatives. Yet earlier in this post some stated “Uh-oh…get ready for another 3000+ post threadâ€. Hmmm, it seems you’re a small group who like to make fun of conservatives and suck each other while make cracks. But we the conservatives come along your post go from 200 to 3,000. I guess there are more conservatives on the internet also. We get our news from multiple sources. You people only get liberal biased news.
June 22nd, 2007 at 7:58 amAnything that upsets the Reich Wing is fine with me. Bring back the Fairness Doctrine tomorrow.
June 22nd, 2007 at 8:05 ami don’t necessaryily want the fairness doctrine back, there hasn’t been enough debate about the merits or how to fairfly implement it
but i do want the telecommunications act of 1996 overturned, conglomeration in the meadea is one of the worst things that has happened in this country the last 10 years
June 22nd, 2007 at 8:22 amThe Doctrine part scares me a little bit, but how could anyone not be for “Fairness�
June 22nd, 2007 at 8:45 amHappy Guy?
Your rant reeks of Rush. Easy to spot a ditto head- the term “you people†is a dead give away. “You’re a Great American†and mega dittos to ya Happy!
Turn off your radio and stick around TP for a while…you might learn some things Rush ain’t telling ya.
June 22nd, 2007 at 8:49 amListen up liberals, I’m going to tell you why no one listens to liberal radio: You don’t like people who don’t think — and live — EXACTLY as you do. You have no respect whatsoever for ordinary people. You believe Americans are either war-mongering right wing nuts or ignorant hicks that need to be led by the intelligentsia (that’s you). You believe that if only we would listen to you, we would agree with you, because you’re so smart and enlightened, and we’re so stupid and simple. You are elitist snobs.
Oh sure, you hit the right rhetorical notes about the poor, immigrants, blacks, whatever, but only because you see them as helpless fools and potential voters. You don’t really respect any of the people you say you speak for, and you sure as heck don’t want them living on your street, shopping in your stores, or God forbid, going to the same schools as your pretentiously named children.
You demand tolerance for a terrorist at Gitmo, but ridicule a $20,000 a year waitress because she shops at Wal-Mart. You call this a racist nation, but call blacks who don’t vote precisely as you say they should Uncle Toms. You mock people who watch NASCAR because you’re too provincial to know that it’s the number one spectator sport in America.
And most of all, you malign those who demonstrate any measure of national pride or patriotism. You simply cannot understand how anyone would be proud and grateful to be an American, yet most Americans are. Ordinary Americans don’t think this is a perfect country, but they know that it is the absolutely best place in the world to reach your finest potential. Average Americans — your potential radio audience — know a country that in 2005 gave more than $260 billion to charities, with your dreaded Bible Belt showing the most generosity. They know that we have been a force for liberty throughout the world for decades and decades, and they notice that immigration is an issue because so many desperate people just want to get here. And while they may not all like the Iraq War or President Bush’s job performance, they know the difference between him and Hitler and find your “Bushitlersims” ridiculous. They hear you and your Michael Moores shout about how poor our health care system is, and how great Communist Cuba’s is, and then they read that Castro had to have a surgeon flown in from Spain. And they wonder, quite frankly, just what the hell you people are talking about.
There are only so many East Coast liberals like yourselves to listen to liberal radio, but the vast rest of the country listens for 5 minutes and realizes that you have nothing but contempt and disdain for them and their simple, productive lives.
So know you want to hijack the airwaves, again because you believe that Americans are so simple-minded they can be indoctrinated to your deeply flawed way of thinking. What you don’t understand is that they’ve heard you and they get your message, they’ve simply rejected it as the nonsense that it is.
June 22nd, 2007 at 8:51 amThe ‘Fairness Doctrine’ Myth: Right Wing Falsely Claims Progressives Want To Resurrect Mandatory Balance
TP is entitled to its opinion but in this case its 100% wrong. Here’s why we need to bring it back. WE CAN’T GET A DEBATE ON RADIO ABOUT THE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE BECAUSE ALL THE STATIONS ARE NEO-CONSERVATIVE. I mean for goodness sake the irony is not-so-funny.
June 22nd, 2007 at 9:00 amGovernment is the enemy.
When will you “progressives” wake up and figure that out. Day after day you all whine about the government. As if you just fell off the turnip truck and had an epiphany you recently figured out the democrats are corrupt and have sold out too. But yet like a woman suffering from battered wife syndrom you go back to your abuser, big government, thinking and believing he/it will change. Well I have news for you idiots, it’s the nature of the beast, absolute power corrupts absolutely and it will not change. And drunk with the power and money you libs have enabled them with they beat you some more. When will you learn?
The FCC is corrupt. Do you really believe this will change if you empower them some more? Stupid stupid liberals. You are so busy hating that you have become blinded by your rage and run back to the arms of your oppressor.
It used to be that liberals understood this but like a domesticated beast you walk in circles attempting to feed from the elusive trough of eutopia through serfdom.
June 22nd, 2007 at 9:11 amWhy do we need the Fairness Doctrine? Because the stations using MY Public airwaves refuse to report on any of these major strories. Absolute dead silence on these issues because they’re afraid of upsetting “scary” Karl.
1) Downing Street Memos
2) Media Ownership (deregulation)
3) Disappearance of Habeas Corpus
4) Fairness Doctrine no longer enforced
5) Freedom of Information Act ratcheted up
6) Bush family close relationship with Bin Ladins
7) Bush family close relationship with the recently departed Ken Lay (Enron)
8) The strategic importance of running that oil pipieline thru Afghanistan
9) Congress working to draft legislation to strangle internet (net neutrality)
10) American embassy built in Iraq $600 million size of 80 football fields
11) All the old Iran-Contra players currently working for Bushco
12) The illegal manner which the medicare prescription bill was passed that’s allowed drug companies to set prices and make record revenues
13) Journalists intentionally targeted in Iraq
14) The danger posed by a 9 trillion dollar national debt
15) The danger posed by unregulated hedge funds
16) Why labor gets almost no TV time and management dominates the airwaves
17) Oil executives secretly meeting to write our energy policy especially Iraq (Cheney’s secret energy papers) (fascism)
18) Bankers allowed to write bankruptcy bill (fascism)
June 22nd, 2007 at 9:16 am20) Voting Integrity (this has gotten minor play in media recently)
21) Purging of minorities from voter rolls..see GregPalast.com
22) Depleted Uranium from the hundreds of thousands of shell casings in Iraq
23) Delay and Abramoff running sweat shops/prison camps in Marinas Islands and forcing young Chinese girls into prostitution then abortions
24) Gay reporter Jeff Gannon sleeping over at White House multiple times then setting up Talon News and being allowed at WH Press Briefings.
25) Sibel Edmonds being silenced and what she knows about 9/11, Denny Hastert and illegal arms sales.
26) Bill Frist sneaking legislation into a Defense bill to protect big Pharma from lawsuits.
27) Choicepoint collecting data on you perhaps even your DNA.
28) Why White House is now hiding all visitor logs (400 Abramoff visits?)
29) Zero Reporting on all the 500+ Executive Orders Bush signed.
30) Exxon Mobil spends $19 million dollars on 75 front groups to create uncertainty over global warming.
31) Private Right Wing Army Blackwater with fundraising ties to Bush operating almost secretly in Iraq.
32) Posse Comitas Rescinded
33) Food Genetically Altered, Not Labeled, No Testing ever done on humans.
34) Profit Sharing Law being pushed thru Iraqi Parliment giving 70% of oil profits to multinational oil co.’s for 30 years
35) Bush Executive order Hides Presidential Papers (Regan, Bush 41, Clinton) that should be released to Public.
36) Questions about Building 7 WTC imploding
37) Phone companies tapping lines illegally prior to 9/11
38) Our beef is now cloned and no safety testing done and its not labeled
39) Presidential Directive NSPD51 giving Bush dictatorial powers in event of ANY emergency he deems worthy.
40) Karl Rove’s Caging Lists stealing vote of millions of minorities including black soliders in Iraq
41) Dick Cheney hiding his visitor logs perhaps destroying them in violation of law.
42) A Newsweek poll from Oct 06 showed 51% of Americans favor impeachment (29% Republicans)! This poll got no addtional coverage.
43) — The president has been declared a felon in federal court. Judge Anna Diggs Taylor ruled last August that President Bush and the National Security Agency were committing serial Class A felonies and were violating both the First and Fourth Amendments by spying on Americans’ communications without first obtaining warrants
44) 15 Democratic Party state organizations have passed impeachment resolutions calling on Democrats in Congress to initiate impeachment proceedings against the president and vice president.
45) There is evidence that Cheney, as CEO of Halliburton, was a patron of the Washington Madam
46) Among the “worst of the worst” of the “evildoers” captured and held as “enemy combatants” at Guantanamo were children, some of them preteens and kids who were under 15
47) How US helped conservative Mexican Presidential candidate steal election
If we can’t agree on a Fairness Doctrine, maybe we could have a Friendship Doctrine. We could all agree that no one would say anything hurtful to anyone else. Wouldn’t that be nice?
June 22nd, 2007 at 9:22 amThe topic of Radio and the Fairness Doctrine is obviously a very sensitive area for neo-cons. Just witness the 3,000+ replies to yesterday’s post about talk radio. That should tell all of us that this is an area we progressives/independents should keep attacking. They own AM talk radio 98% to 2%. They’re deathly afraid of having to give up even a single percent more. They know how powerful talk radio is. And they know that if the public were exposed to ideas, progressive ideas, that Rush’s ideas couldn’t compete. You see neo-cons know their ideas aren’t as good as ours. So they can only win when they prevent our ideas from being heard.
June 22nd, 2007 at 9:29 amAmanda – you are a FASCIST.
June 22nd, 2007 at 9:29 am145
And they know that if the public were exposed to ideas, progressive ideas, that Rush’s ideas couldn’t compete. You see neo-cons know their ideas aren’t as good as ours. So they can only win when they prevent our ideas from being heard.
Has the “public†never heard a progressive idea?
June 22nd, 2007 at 9:44 amHappy Guy, the concept is one of access. And I certainly don’t consider NPR or ABC, CBS, CNN and NBC to be liberal at all. They have liberal/progressive people on them, but not exclusively and certainly not more than half of the time. And that would seem to be what freaks out the neo-con trolls: they consider any liberal commentator to be a threat and proof of liberal bias.
One of the most tragicomical aspects of conservative talk radio is that they actually suppress, deny, or contradict any story that is unflattering to the far Right. That’s why you get goofiness such as Generals saying more violence is a sign of success in Iraq and O’Reilly spewing that Playboy centerfolds are more important than the Middle East situation.
You know, the neo-cons used to point to the barrenness of Communist Bloc news and say that was proof of how evil Moscow was, but they whine & moan about treasonous liberals when the simple facts and events of the world are mentioned on the supposedly ‘free’ news in America. The neo-cons demand “happy” news –that is, propaganda. And that’s censorship.
Don’t kid yourself, Slap Happy Guy. It’s the Rushes and O’Reillys of the far Right who censor the news and taint journalism by inserting opinion and editorial comment where they should have facts. Conservative Talking Heads pepper all their shows with weasel words and they hate to have any liberal/progressives to be given air time because their bubble world would be challenged. And it’s that seed of doubt that makes the public ask the hard questions that real journalists are supposed to ask: Who, what, where, when, why and how.
June 22nd, 2007 at 10:11 am#147 Has the “public†never heard a progressive idea?
The topic is AM radio and the Fairness Doctrine. So my answer is on AM radio around the country neo-cons ideas get heard 98% to 2% compared to Progressive ideas.
June 22nd, 2007 at 10:12 amSo Larrys answer is YES they have heard a progressive idea.
Where did they hear them Larry?
Let the fairness doctrine include tv and the internet if justice is truly desire.
June 22nd, 2007 at 10:21 am#149
I don’t mean to be a pest, but you said that if the public were exposed to progressive ideas, that Rush’s ideas couldn’t compete. I doubt if that’s true.
I like to watch soccer on TV, and my wife likes to watch Friends re-runs. Friends is on a lot more often than soccer.
But when a soccer game finally comes on, she goes and reads a book. She isn’t enlightened by a new perspective.
No Fairness Doctrine required. We watch what we like, and the networks broadcast what they think people will watch.
Beyond that it’s just a conspiracy theory about neo-cons having control and being deathly afraid of having to give up even a single percent more.
In my opinion.
June 22nd, 2007 at 10:50 am#150 Huh? The Fairness Doctrine covers the “Public Airwaves”. That includes Free Radio and Free TV (not cable tv or satellite radio. You make a decision to pay to bring those into your house, just like a book or magazine. That’s why the FCC can’t fine Howard Stern for saying a curse on satellite radio.) The Networks get their licenses for FREE. And they make BILLIONS $$ from those FREE licenses. As a result of this free public gift they have to program in the public interest and are subject to FCC rules. The fact that progressive ideas are almost completely shut-out from free radio shows the public interest is not being served. Simple enough? If Rush gets 3 hours on a 50,000 watt radio station then that station must offer 3 hours to opposing views. If they don’t their license, which they got for FREE and make billions of $$ with should be revoked. They’re no longer serving the public. They’re serving either a political or financial agenda.
June 22nd, 2007 at 10:55 am#151 #149
I don’t mean to be a pest, but you said that if the public were exposed to progressive ideas, that Rush’s ideas couldn’t compete. I doubt if that’s true.
I like to watch soccer on TV, and my wife likes to watch Friends re-runs. Friends is on a lot more often than soccer.
You’re not a pest if your question is genuine. First, the Fairness Doctrine doesn’t apply to cable tv. So if you’re watching Friends or Soccer on Cable then there’s no arguement.
Second, your example is a bit off base. If you’re watching Friends or Soccer on free tv then that station IS mandated to run programming in the public interest. The local news is one example. Educational children’s programming is another. However, the FCC hardly regulates either of these anymore. One station claimed years ago that reruns of Saved By The Bell qualified as educational children’s programming. How pathetic. So your free tv station is required to run informative and educational programming. It CANNOT just run Friends all day long seven days a week. But the FCC requirements are SO WEAK and NOT ENFORCED that most people aren’t even aware of this requirement.
June 22nd, 2007 at 11:04 amAA, Maybe I can ask you this question which will help illustrate my point.
In Chicago, WLS AM 890 broadcasts the Rush Limbaugh show. WLS (Disney/Citadel owned) got the license to broadcast on 890 AM for FREE. Its a powerhouse signal, 50,000 watts. Virtually any show they run will make millions of dollars. Its a FREE license to print money.
Since Disney/Citadel had the free license in 2006 when is it my turn to have ownership of this free license? What year will the guy down the street get his turn to own this license? Why should this free license be given to Disney/Citadel every year? If the license to this signal is free, and owned by the public, why can’t we all take turns owning it?
Is it to much to ask that if this license is given to Disney/Citadel free every year, and they make millions $$ with it, that they should offer programming representing the full spectrum of public interest? And not just 12 hours of neo-con programming all day?
June 22nd, 2007 at 11:37 amIn other words….forget the Fairness Doctrine. We need to give the Government (liberals)the authority to pull station licences if they don’t broadcast liberal tripe despite the fact that nobody wants to listen to their socialist crap. But that’s the heart of the matter. Station owners won’t put something on the air that won’t attract advertisers. It would be easier and more profitable to just end conservative programming. The new Democratic-Stalinist Party doesn’t want equal time. They want to eliminate all opposing voices and ideas. C,mon you libs. YOu own and control virually all the mainstream media…TV and print.
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:27 pmYour message is getting out loud and clear. The root problem is that nobody wants to listen to your non stop pro socialist, america bashing, intolerant hate speech. And ending talk radio won’t fix your problem
#154
Ok, I’ll bite – but I’m not very good at this.
To prove I’m not any good at debate I’ll concede your primary point – assuming it’s true, that it’s not fair for Disney to get a free license to broadcast whatever they want, when George Soros can’t do the same. No offence, but I don’t imagine you or I or the guy down the street can afford to broadcast even with a free license.
But now as you point out, Disney can print free money, all they have to do is transmit entertaining shows and sell ad space accordingly. If they make a poor decision and decide to broadcast static 24/7, no free money. If they sign up Rush, big money. If they’re forced to cut the Rush show in half because of the Fairness Doctrine, it’s my contention that listeners will punch out and clean the garage.
You stated upthread that “[the neo-cons] know that if the public were exposed to progressive ideas, that Rush’s ideas couldn’t compete. You see neo-cons know their ideas aren’t as good as ours. So they can only win when they prevent our ideas from being heard.â€
My wife won’t watch a soccer game even if it’s offered – she has no interest. I suspect it’s the same with 98% of Americans (your number) when it comes to progressive talk.
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:29 pmGood grief AA. All we need to do is pick up a paper, turn on almost any network/ cable news show, read virtually any news magazine and we get inundated with your Progressive, neo-Stalinist ideas. Your ideas are out there but it’s not “Progressive”. It’s a regurgitation of the same ol Lenin, Marxist garbage that’s been circulated longer than any of us have been alive. Give us some new ideas and maybe we’ll listen.
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:37 pmSo where is the fairness of Air-Head America? WIll they start telling the conservative points also? And if so how much money will George Soros pay then? I would love to see his money go to telling the conservative point of view.
I could also see that vein in Al Franken’s head pop like a firecracker.
ROTFL
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:55 pmIt’s no surprise that the solution to the “problem” is government intervention to suppress free speech, just look at the bio’s of the little Nazi’s running this organization. I suggest before anyone spends too much time at this site, you click the “About” link and read about your independent research market analyst. No surprise here that these young Stalinist would think the media is conservative. Gee Whiz!, I wonder who they’ll vote for in ‘08?
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:56 pmOh and did I mention the Liberal ownership of our education system. Public schools and Universities have become Liberal indoctrination centers. Case in point. A friends daughter went to the Columbia School of Journalism in Chicago to learn…Journalism. She was taught about everything except journalism. It’s was basicly Dems/Liberals good…Republicans/Conservatives bad. She was also taught the beauty of the gay/lesbian lifestyle. The final straw came when a Priest attended one of her journalism classes and taught them how put on a condom with their teeth. A Priest?! And he had props! She left the school shortly thereafter. She just couldn’t see the point in having her parents shell out thousands a year in tuition to learn journalism only to have Priests and Professors teach her how to give a blowjob and/or be lesbian. What little “journalism” she was taught wasn’t about journalism at all. It was about using journalism to advance the liberal agenda. This is a typical example of what goes on at your typical University. And libs say their voice isn’t being heard. Give me a break!
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:20 pmHillary Clinton and her allies in the Democrat Party will SHUT DOWN the opposition if they are elected and TP knows it. I’ll be shocked if she doesn’t start performing forced partial-birth abortions on Republican women.
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:31 pm#156
Sorry for your grief Bob, but at least it’s good.
Larry from C was trying to convince me that Conservative Talk couldn’t compete with Progressive Talk (up in #145).
He said, “[Neo-cons] own AM talk radio 98% to 2%. They’re deathly afraid of having to give up even a single percent more. They know how powerful talk radio is. And they know that if the public were exposed to ideas, progressive ideas, that Rush’s ideas couldn’t compete. You see neo-cons know their ideas aren’t as good as ours. So they can only win when they prevent our ideas from being heard.
A comparable argument might be that the local bar owner sells beer 98% to 2% for juice. They’re deathly afraid of having to give up even a single percent more. They know how powerful the bar business is. And they know that if the public were exposed to juice, that beer couldn’t compete. You see bar owners know their beer isn’t as good as our juice. So they can only win when they prevent our product from being consumed.
Same argument, different product.
But some juice bars are very profitable, but they don’t sell much beer there. The juice bar or tavern owner don’t care if you buy beer or juice, they’ll sell you whatever you want. But introduce the Beverage Fairness Doctrine and pretty soon the health food store is losing money because they have to stop selling juice, since no one wants any beer. And the price of beer at the tavern has doubled because they have to give away a free glass of juice to be dumped on the floor with every beer sold.
Doesn’t sound very progressive to me, or neo-Stalinist, or Leninist, or Marxist either.
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:34 pmAA…I listen to Ed Schultz. He’s not my favorite but he does a good job talking about some issues. He’s carried on many of the Air America stations even though he’s owned by another company. And he’s Republican Light.
Today he’s talking about this issue. He makes the point that in many markets he’s beating Rush & Sean. But the radio networks refuse to put him on hundreds of other stations. Why? He’s proven that when he’s on a radio signal of equal strength he can make money. But he’s limited to 50 or so stations because he runs up against a brick wall of ownership. While second tier talkers like Glenn Beck get rolled out on hundreds of stations before even proving themselves.
In the three largest radio markets in the country: New York, Chicago and Los Angeles the progressive radio station is a terrible signal that is almost impossible to receive. How can Randi Rhodes, Stephanie Miller and Ed Schultz etc, in the BLUEST of cities, compete with Rush and Sean when they’re on the 50,000 watt powerhouse stations?
If you put Rush on the radio stations with poor signals his ratings would be non-existent. If you put Ed Schultz on the powerhouse stations he’d bring in Rush’s ratings. There are just as many progressive listeners as republican. But even the few stations progressives have are TERRIBLE.
June 22nd, 2007 at 2:00 pmThe Stalinist aspect comes from the fact that “Progressives” do not want opposing points of view competing with their own. Especially Hillary. She absolutely hates competition of ideas. There’s little ideological difference between her and Hugo Chavez. And I have no doubt she’s jeleous that Hugo can shut down TV and radio stations at the snap of a finger and she can’t…yet. As TP pointed out she’d shut down the competition if she could. She may not be successful but it wouldn’t be for a lack of trying
June 22nd, 2007 at 2:05 pm#160 AA…I call em like I see ‘em and your arguement is terrible. Juice bars? That’s a private business. I’m talking about a FREE PUBLIC LICENSE. Two completely different worlds.
Doesn’t sound very progressive to me, or neo-Stalinist, or Leninist, or Marxist either.
Giving a free multi-million dollar valued license to Disney/Citadel every year without discussion or consideration sounds very elitist, corporatist and fascist to me. Especially when that station presents only programming that supports the administration that gave them that license (and massive tax cuts and deregulation).
And yes, I could program a successful station. I want MY FREE license. Disney had it for over a decade. Now its my turn damnit. And after a year or two I’ll be glad to give it to the next guy if the public deems I’m not using it fairly. I’m not scared of presenting all sides of an issue. I don’t need to silence those I don’t agree with. Disney/Citadel is.
June 22nd, 2007 at 2:09 pm#162 Bob…You only need to read my post #143. The neo-con owned media has suppressed all these stories.
Bob, will you champion a movement to give me three hours of equal time on Rush’s station to talk about the issues in my post #143? Since you’re not afraid of fair competition, right?
June 22nd, 2007 at 2:13 pm#161
Sorry, never heard of Ed Schultz. Which probably proves your point (or mine)?
My car radio has 6 AM and 12 FM pre-sets and I have 3 programmed. Sport talk (primary), Conservative opinion AM(secondary) and NPR FM. It’s not that there aren’t dozens of other choices out there. But I made my choice and I just don’t care for Achey-Breaky Heart or Gangsta Rap or Air America.
I don’t want the Fairness Doctrine cutting my 3 channels down to one and a half.
June 22nd, 2007 at 2:54 pmThe reasons Rhodes and Miller are on weak stations is because nobody listened to them when they were on more powerful stations. You could build a 100,000 watt station and it wouldn’t make any difference….they’d still have poor ratings and the station still couldn’t get enough advertisers to pay the bills and they’d still have to rely on Soros to foot the bill. Liberal talk radio has tried and failed over and over and over on stations big and small. It’s not the size of the signal it’s the content of the message. If there really were that many people in this country who wanted to listen to those personalities…they’d be on big stations all across America. As far as Mr. Schultz is concerned I haven’t heard him and I can’t comment. But I’d be more than happy to listen to what he has to say. And I’m not afraid of competition. I’d be more than happy to give you 3 hours of air time to compete with Rush or anybody else for that matter. I’m all for people hearing your ideas about how America should be governed. In fact the more that hear your ideas the better for conservatism. But if you get your wish, and your program fails, I’d expect you to finally admitt that it’s the liberal message that’s failing and not the lack of airtime access. Do what you please. I’m all for free speech. The more people who speak the better.
June 22nd, 2007 at 2:54 pmLarry, I have to go to work and pay my taxes so the libs can give my money to give to those who don’t. I’d like to respond to #143 but I really don’t have the time. All I can say is if you know so much about those stories then you obviously read about them somewhere and the news is getting out. You libs have all network news, most cable news outlets, most newspapers and news magazines and the BBC at your disposal. If they aren’t getting your prefered news stories out to the masses then adding radio to your information arsenal isn’t going to change anything.
June 22nd, 2007 at 3:08 pm#166 & 167 Randi Rhodes has good ratings and beats many neo-cons in markets where she competes on an equal field. Stephanie Miller too but she’s been in the game a shorter time. Her show would smash any neo-con given the chance. She’s got real talent. The neo-cons have no one with real talent. Just haters who attract other haters. And I’ll concede there’s a lot of biggots, sexists and racists. That’s much of the reason for neo-radio’s success. Soros hasn’t paid Air America’s bills. See, you’re a victim of Rush propaganda and are being played for a dupe. But since the Fairness Doctrine isn’t enforced you don’t have anyone to tell you this. Soros is a wonderful human being. A humanitarian. The billionaires on YOUR side are the ones financing the disinformation networks. You should aim in your life to be half as decent a person as Mr. Soros.
Larry, I have to go to work and pay my taxes so the libs can give my money to give to those who don’t.
Bob, you’re working to pay the Chinese who are financing the Iraq Occupation. As your kids and grandkids will be working for the Chinese to pay back this $9 Trillion deficit Mr. Bush has run up. How do you like working for a Communist regime? Mr. Clinton had SURPLUSES.
All I can say is if you know so much about those stories then you obviously read about them somewhere and the news is getting out.
95% of those stories I listed I found on the internet. A bit came from Randi, Stephanie and Tom Hartman.
June 22nd, 2007 at 7:48 pmThose who cannot Compete Legislate , thats you guys
June 22nd, 2007 at 8:00 pmI’m not convinced that Liberal radio can work.
June 22nd, 2007 at 8:29 pm(so called)”Conservatives” like Limbaugh came to prominence by exerting a willingness to spout paranoid racist sexist garbage by the truck load.
Progressives simply don’t operate that way.Limbaugh is willing to openly mock Michael J Fox’s medical condition.Coulter calls The 9/11 widows whores…etc.This language couldn’t be any more provocative or premeditated.It SELLS.
“The report argues instead that we should address the more significant problem of concentrated ownership and ineffective regulation in order to push the market structure to better meet local needs”
In other words let the governement regulate free speech.
June 23rd, 2007 at 1:21 pmAnd these are same freaks who say that False News is “fair and balanced” ? Hand me a bucket: I think I am about to be sick.
June 23rd, 2007 at 2:23 pmA great resource of online media such as newspapers, radio, tv, video, etc, can be accessed at: http://www.mediaplanetaria.com
June 23rd, 2007 at 4:18 pmComment about #25.
June 27th, 2007 at 8:01 pmThat sound exactly like George Soros.
So, I’m reading through these comments. I’m a conservative, and I find it interesting that I can’t argue any of the comments that I’ve read. I wonder why. Oh, I know! They don’t make points. Seriously, instead of making a bunch of ad-hominem attacks, make some points. So here’s my point: read the constitution. The founders of this country were actually against government. But they realized that we needed government to survive. So they limited government. One of those limits was that the government could not limit or control media. And for those of you who say that “the media is owned by the few rich”, I say: we live in a capitalist society. It’s a free market. That’s what happens.
P.S. I’m a Christian. Lay off the attacks on us. For all your whining about how we’re hateful and intolerant, I don’t see much evidence to back those statements up. I don’t know many Christians who are hateful or intolerant. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever met a group more loving, accepting, or tolerant of what other people believe than my youth group.
June 28th, 2007 at 5:44 pmSo I see you want to sneak in the back door. So typical of Liberals. If Rush, Hannity, Mark Levin, Glenn Beck “can’t compete” with “Progressive Ideas” why did Air America go down in flames. You already have PBS, NPR, CBS, NBC, ABC, MSNBC, CNN ply 90% of the journalists in Washington. Are your solutions and policies so weak that they can’t stand the light of day? Why are you so afraid of the Free Market?
I too am a Christian. Your offensive, hateful comments simply reinforce the fact that you have nothing with which to debate facts other than to use character assination and to denigrate anyone who has an opposing view. May God Bless you all.
June 29th, 2007 at 12:01 amDoes the “fairness doctrine “extend to academia,the print media,the news media,hollywood events,left leaning churches and the local watering hole or coffe shop.
June 29th, 2007 at 2:35 pmTalk radio has been calling you crybabies and bed wetters for years.What do you do? Go and prove em right.
Brad
I really feel sorry for all the liberals out there they don’t know what to do with the power they have so they realize they need more by sucking up every media station out there. there rule will range from talk radio all the way to internet in the next coming years. ahh yes anti-christian attacks. howard is right the liberals polls are SOOOO Low that they start attacking christians. (mind that even lower than Bush’s) that is so sad that they have to relate to those kind of attacks
June 29th, 2007 at 6:19 pmThe fairness doctrine, as Brenner stated, has a chilling effect on speech. I do not believe that the governmnet bureaucray can be trusted with the regulation of acceptable speech. It is the prelude to newspeak.
Concering re-organization of the media conglomerates…if you took all the money in the world, distributed it eqaully, in a few years you would be back to where we are now. The majority of rich people are hard working and self made. Class envy is an evil unto itself. For the most part, the rich are better people.
July 2nd, 2007 at 3:18 pm