As An Ardent Believer In Free Speech, I Firmly Support The Fairness Doctrine?

Question

Right-Wing 'hate radio' must be muzzled for the greater good of America.

Do you agree?

Answer 1

Frankly, as a fellow ardent believer in Free Speech, I think you're being side-tracked by the "Fairness Doctrine" while the REAL threat goes largely unnoticed. I'm referring to the FCC pushing for a December goal of looser regulations that will allow conglomerates to 'gobble up' even more media outlets in concentrated markets.
http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/mediatimeline.html

At one time, our airwaves were deemed to be 'public domain' and broadcasters had to prove they were serving the public interest as a condition for license renewal. Now, license renewals are little more than mailing in a card to be rubber-stamped. If you saw the movie "Network" (Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway, William Holden) released about thirty years ago, around the time of the original "Fairness Doctrine"... the concepts of 'corporate ownership' and 'news for profit' that were presented as Orwellian "what if" scenarios in that movie have now become the sad reality of US mass media today.

The real unfairness is the way that everyone, FCC especially, was 'asleep at the wheel' while a handful of conglomerates bought up the mass media. The whole idea was that it would bring 'fair and balanced' viewpoints, what we got instead is 'homogenized' viewpoints. Does right-wing talk radio and left-wing NPR stand out from that? Yes they do, and good for us that they do!! Please, do not let the "fairness doctrine" unfairly stifle and homogenize us even more. PLEASE! Don't buy into the politically charged arguments because they'll just divide and conquer us. If that happens, we ALL lose.
That's my liberal opinion!

Answer 2

You just contradicted yourself in your question. How can you be for FREE SPEECH and still say that Right Wing radio must be muzzled "FOR THE GREATER GOOD"? That isn't FREE SPEECH at all, that is a major precursor to controlling the press and controlling the population by suppressing one side of stories. Do you really want that?

What do you think radio and TV would be like if only ONE opinion is allowed and the other is stifled? Think about it.
If you don't want to listen to "right wing hate radio" don't listen. That's what the DIAL and the OFF buttons are for

Answer 3

Now an ardent believer in free speech as long as he agrees with what is being said but if he disagrees with what is being said then it has to be stopped.If you mean Rush and some of the others there is a way to protect your self from what they say just change the station and don't listen.

Answer 4

Censorship is not free speech. The fact is, everyone currently has the same access to the airwaves. The fact that very few people want to listen to Al Franken types doesn't make it unfair.

Answer 5

Any power you give the government, such as regulating free speech, is bound to be used not just against those you disagree with but you yourself as well.
Having said that I strongly disagree with censoring talk radio or anything else for that matter.

Answer 6

Did you read what you posted? Muzzling one side of an argument because you don't agree is censorship!

You actually took both sides of an issue in the same SENTENCE! You should run for congress!

Answer 7

Freedom of speech means freedom of ALL speech, whether you , as an individual, like it or not. Don't want to listen to stupid right-wing 'hate radio?' Just turn it off.

Answer 8

I only believe that government should control content when I am elected Supreme Ruler of the Universe.

Thank you for your vote.

Answer 9

I'm running a sale on super ,deluxe tin foil fezzes this week. Come on down and bring the whole family.

Answer 10

Just like the Ronald Reagan mini-series starring James Brolin that conservatives successfully had censored?

Yeah, you conservatives are real fighters for free speech,