I Don't Get It

Do you listen to talk radio? Sometimes I listen to Glenn Beck, sometimes, although less and less, to Rush Limbaugh, and sometimes to Michael Savage. They all three run on the same station here in Pittsburgh along with the unlistenable Quinn & Rose and a very nice local sports package during evening drive. If you do listen to any of these shows then you've been hearing a lot of demonizing around "the fairness doctrine."

They've taken to calling it "the censorship doctrine."

My recollection is that this thing used to be called "equal time." That the thought was that the airwaves belong to the public and so no one particular viewpoint should get to dominate them and therefore whenever a broadcast outlet chose to air something partisan one way or the other they had to provide equal time to the opposition.

The rabid fear is that somehow the Obama administration is going to use equal time to destroy talk radio - thereby silencing their only critic.

So here's the part I don't get. These same people howl at the moon about how there's a deep left wing bias to all reporting in the legit media.

Let's skip the part about who is and who isn't legit media anymore. I always find it somewhat humorous when someone with a regular show on the radio complains about the liberal slat on the media. Um, sir, aren't you also media? Like I said, we'll skip that.

But... If there is in fact this deep liberal media bias, then isn't it the lefties that should be concerned about the concept of equal time? I mean, if every network newscast is biased then in the very least can't talk radio position themselves as the equal time balance to that bias? Or even moreso, won't that mean that the networks will be coerced to air more conservative views?

I don't think you can have it both ways. Either there is a vast liberal bias to mainstream media in which case talk radio should be fine or talk radio is in real trouble because the right wing pudits have been full of shit about the bias all along.

I leave it to the reader as an exercise to determine that one.

Also, I can't help think that the fairness doctrine was tooled for an outlet scarce environment. The idea here is that people not be forced to hear only one idea. Surely that isn't a problem now. When I am not listening to Glen, Rush, or Dr. Savage I am listening to Fresh Air, All Things Considered, and Morning Edition - and sometimes This Way Out, Counterspin, and The Allegheny Front. I am an intellectual omnivore of sorts and I seem to have no trouble pushing a different button when I have heard enough ranting from either side.

As someone oft to use the phrase "surely we can find some common ground" I believe that Barack Obama is someone that would also appreciate having a range available and nobody ought to fear their right to shout lies at the public be they Rush, NPR, or Savage.

And you too should really listen to Counterspin.