http://uk.reuters.com/artic...dUKN2629472820090226
WASHINGTON, Feb 26 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate passed an amendment on Thursday that would bar regulators from requiring broadcasters to give equal time to all points of view, a ban strongly supported by some Republican lawmakers.

The legislative amendment, sponsored by Republican Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina, would prevent the Federal Communications Commission from reimposing the so-called Fairness Doctrine to all broadcasters. It was repealed more than 20 years ago.

Aides to President Barack Obama have said he has no intention of trying to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine, but that has not stopped some Republicans from raising the issue.

Free Press, a media advocacy group that opposes bringing back the rule, said the issue was a distraction.

"An uncharitable interpretation is that they (Republicans) need an issue that unites their base and is an easy talking point for conservative radio," said Ben Scott, policy director at Free Press.

Conservative talk show icon Rush Limbaugh recently decried the doctrine in a Wall Street Journal editorial.

DeMint said the doctrine violates the First Amendment and would suppress free speech by letting the government decide what is fair political dialogue.

An appeals court made that ruling, leading the FCC to repeal it in 1987.

"An uncharitable interpretation is that they (Republicans) need an issue that unites their base and is an easy talking point for conservative radio," said Ben Scott, policy director at Free Press.


That would be the response one would expect from the LOSERS! Reid, Pelosi, Kerry, and others are on record as supporting the Doctrine and even discussed how an Obama administration would make it possible to re-introduce it.

This move is a clear pre-emptive strike that caught the dogs sleeping!

Don't celebrate too early there Dewey. There is another bill afoot, that would mandate breakup of large broadcasters like Clearchannel, which is meant to make broadcast ownership a more diverse group. It would basically bring the Fairness Doctrine in thru the back door.

From a different news source:
...........However, Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin also won approval for an alternate amendment that would order the Federal Communications Commission to encourage radio ownership "diversity."

A DeMint aide said Durbin's measure will "impose the Fairness Doctrine through the back door by trying to break up radio ownership."

The aide called the Durbin proposal "an attempt to break up companies like Clear Channel and hurt their syndications and therefore putting many local radio stations out of business that depend on those syndicated shows for revenue."

The measure passed by a vote of 57-to-41.

The media control doctrine is a policy created decades ago but abolished in the late 1980s that required broadcasters to provide opposing views on controversial issues of public importance.

Though President Obama remains opposed to any effort to renew it and the Federal Communications Commission claims it is not in any talks to revive the policy, a few Democrats have voiced strong support for the media control policy in recent weeks. Republicans like DeMint in turn pushed legislation to forestall any move to bring back the doctrine.

"We need to make it a law that the FCC or this Congress cannot implement any aspect of the Fairness Doctrine," DeMint said.

Localization is their real intent anyway. The "Censorship" Doctrine is just a distraction. The Dems are still on track for what they want. They want to control censoring on the local level. If they can't screw us in the front, they will go in the back door. We are not out of the woods yet.

Jim

Aint the inter-webs a GRAND thing ?

screw the MSM and the corporate media and ANY damn doctorine.

Nice to be able to get news from all over the world, from independent reportors, isnt it????????

Corporate media news?---yeah, right !!! (who has a puke bucket handy? )

quote Originally posted by maryjane: From a different news source: ...........However, Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin also won approval for an alternate amendment that would order the Federal Communications Commission to encourage radio ownership "diversity."

How about TV and newspaper ownership diversity ?

If they get their foot in the door on the airwaves they'll move onto books/newspapers/*internet*.

Newspapers are going under by themselves. TV is already in the tank. Internet can easily be manipulated. Radio is the only outlet the government needs to destroy. They will do it by requiring (via the FCC) 50% of the programing to be originated locally as "community service" requirement. It's legal, and holds up in court. Just listen to your local radio stations on Sunday mornings and you will know what kind of programing I am talking about. It's the kind you don't listen to. First of all, the conservative programing gets replaced because the station is required to, and then the station goes under because no one is listening. Oh what a tangled web we weave.

Jim