Posted by sawyer on November 10, 2008 at 20:43:40
In Reply to: Re: Losing graciously posted by CB on November 09, 2008 at 10:03:48:
I have a few keys on my computer that if hit accidentally will post my reply before it's completed.
So, I was going to say that the re-institution of the Fairness Doctrine is a very real concern. I've read that there are several ways that Obama's administration might approach it. One of the most interesting would be to institute local committees to judge a radio program's "balance" or "fairness." Any way that it's approached is censorship of free speech that is likely to cause a big rift in this country.
Like you, I believe that no one is being forced to listen to rhetoric that they find offensive. I suppose, however, that one could justifiably complain if there weren't any alternatives. But does success in one genre justify regulation? Conservatives do seem to have a majority of the successful radio-talk shows, but liberal talk-shows do exist. Liberals, on the other hand, have a majority of the successful politically-leaning comedic programs, i.e., Bill Maher, SNL, Letterman....
Right, the internet is a great equalizing entity, and one that government might try to control as well.