Re: The role of government should be........

Thumper wrote:
On Thu, 19 Feb 2009 12:49:02 -0500, Alan Lichtenstein <arl@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:


Sheila wrote:


Alan Lichtenstein wrote:


Sheila wrote:


Ron Peterson wrote:


On Feb 18, 10:40 am, Sheila <swdal...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:


Ron Peterson wrote:



The government has the right to implement the "fairness doctrine".
Whether it curtails free speech depends on how it's done.



Where is the right to curtail free speech?



The government doesn't have the right to curtail free speech. But, the
government can prohibit a private citizen from curtailing the free
speech of others.

--
Ron



No one is prohibiting free speech not, but the 'fairness doctrine' would have that effect.


Sheila, you continue to repeat this assertion, yet you are unable to explain why a regulation requiring media to provide equal time to one who disagrees with an opinion presented on the media prevents the initial asserter from making that assertion in the first place. Fact remains, it doesn't.




Ok, I'll explain it again to you. Right now, you have the freedom to have a liberal radio show on stations, as a matter of fact you have had a few, but most of them fail because they do not attract enough listeners.

Sheila, you continue to ignore the basis. The issue is NOT whether or not anyone has the ability to set up their own soap box in the park, but the issue is over the responsibility of the media outlet when one using its avenues DOES set up their soap box? Since the avenues are LIMITED, then what is the responsibility of the media outlet? You ignore that issue, which is the ONLY issue regarding this.


Now, if you make a regulation that a radio station must have a liberal talk show for every conservative talk show, that radio station will fail due to not enough listeners on the liberal show to attract sponsors. You see, radio stations are businesses and if they don't show a profit they will fail, so both the liberal and conservative talk show will be off the air.

So free speech, by your own admission, is thus restricted to those who can pay?


Now, I know that you agree that the main stream media does slant the news to the left.

I also said that right wing media slants the news to the right.

You also don't think that it can be stopped, so this

media does leave it's listeners with the wrong conclusion in a lot of cases.

Again, Sheila, that's not what I said. I said that they guide readers to make the inferences they want. Nothing which is said in slanted news, either from the right or left wings is wrong, and leaves one with any misinformation.

Some news, they don't even report at all if it goes against

their beliefs.

Indeed. So?


So in conclusion if you force conservative radio off the air all you will have left is the main stream media which give the wrong impression, in lots of peoples opinion, most of the time. So you are left with propaganda for the left without anyone being able to refute it.

Sheila, nowhere is anyone being forced off the air. You make assertions that even you can't connect the dots to conclude.


Right now both sides of issues are heard but the 'fairness doctrine' effetely shuts down one side of the issue being heard.

Maybe, but that isn't the issue. The issue is when a media outlet, which has limited access to all presents, whether through its own design, or through a third party whom they have permitted to have access, to assert an opinion, they have the obligation to provide equal time to opposing views. You seem to have a hard time distinguishing between the setting up of a soap box in the park and the use of the airwaves or print media. In the former, anyone can set up their soap box without restriction, so the park is under no obligation to provide equal time. In the latter instance, access IS restricted, so the Fairness Doctrine would require equal time to that access.



Perhaps we should break up the huge media monopolies.
Thumper

That, in fact, was the implication of the author, a former right-wing REPUBLICAN, who saw the danger in the aggregation of media outlets, in his book "The Republican Noise Machine." I find it both curious and refreshing that a former right-wing Republican now sees the danger in one-sided promotion of a single view. The fact that he now sees the problem, even when he would agree philosophically with the Republicans is outstanding.
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: The role of government should be........
    ... The government doesn't have the right to curtail free speech. ... Sheila, you continue to repeat this assertion, yet you are unable to explain why a regulation requiring media to provide equal time to one who disagrees with an opinion presented on the media prevents the initial asserter from making that assertion in the first place. ...
    (soc.retirement)
  • Re: The role of government should be........
    ... The government doesn't have the right to curtail free speech. ... Sheila, you continue to repeat this assertion, yet you are unable to explain why a regulation requiring media to provide equal time to one who disagrees with an opinion presented on the media prevents the initial asserter from making that assertion in the first place. ... Right now, you have the freedom to have a liberal radio show on stations, as a matter of fact you have had a few, but most of them fail because they do not attract enough listeners. ...
    (soc.retirement)
  • Re: The role of government should be........
    ... The government doesn't have the right to curtail free speech. ... Sheila, you continue to repeat this assertion, yet you are unable to ... explain why a regulation requiring media to provide equal time to one ...
    (soc.retirement)
  • Re: The role of government should be........
    ... Whether it curtails free speech depends on how it's done. ... No one is prohibiting free speech not, but the 'fairness doctrine' would have that effect. ... Sheila, you continue to repeat this assertion, yet you are unable to explain why a regulation requiring media to provide equal time to one who disagrees with an opinion presented on the media prevents the initial asserter from making that assertion in the first place. ...
    (soc.retirement)
  • Re: The role of government should be........
    ... Evelyn, I do listen to other than conservative media, I also listen to the main stream media and it is glaring to me which is propaganda and which isn't. ... Listening to both and agreeing with one or another viewpoint is NOT being brainwashed. ... In fact, the Fairness Doctrine, formerly know as the 'Equal Time Requirement,'actually PREVENTS slanted and one-sided use of the media and PROMOTES a view to both sides of the issue. ... many stations get around this by having their Sunday talk shows consist of liberals and conservatives. ...
    (soc.retirement)