The drumbeat to bring back the so-called Fairness Doctrine is getting louder. Everywhere you turn some lefty is whining about the inability of lefty radio hosts to build audience share. This time it’s Sen. Tom Harkin, who lied about his military service but got a pass from the media because he’s a liberal Dem. Here’s an exchange from lefty Bill Press’ radio show that no one listens to:
BILL PRESS: Alright, well good for you. You know, we gotta work on that, because they are just shutting down progressive talk from one city after another. All we want is, you know, some balance on the airwaves, that’s all. You know, we’re not going to take any of the conservative voices off the airwaves, but just make sure that there are a few progressives and liberals out there, right?
SENATOR TOM HARKIN (D-IA): Exactly, and that’s why we need the fair — that’s why we need the Fairness Doctrine back.
What they’re talking about there is a media Smoot-Hawley, protectionism for the weak efforts of lefty shock jocks who can’t compete in an actual free market. Don’t be fooled. The “Fairness” doctrine is not about fairness. It’s about silencing the conservative talk that thrives in every radio market in America. And that’s what galls the left so.
UPDATE: Bill Press’ conflict of interest, which The Washington Post didn’t point out when they allowed him to write a column advocating the return of the “Fairness” Doctrine in their rag:
He’s essentially advocating that the government remove his competition in order to create economic opportunities for himself. Did the Washington Post not think this was a rather serious conflict of interest? Mightn’t they have mentioned this fact in the editor’s note, other than merely to write that the author is the host of the “The Bill Press Show”? (Which nobody has ever heard of.) This is wrong on all levels.
UPDATE: Alabama’s Sen. Jeff Sessions leaves no doubt where he stands on efforts to bring back the “Fairness” Doctrine, or to in any way curtail free speech on the radio waves:
“The airwaves are open. Anybody can get on that has a following and can sell the ads to make the program go. People are not being denied the right to go on the radio. They’re not denied the right to buy time on the radio. So, for the government to come in and say, ‘Well, we think there’s too much of this kind of opinion and not enough of the kind of opinion that we like,’ would be a very dangerous thing.”
