Reply #13: It's not what they do, but it's their responsibility

[Time for change]

The Telecommunications Act of 1934 made it clear that licensing a corporation to use our public airways carries with it a responsibility to serve the public interest. Holding back damaging information about the lies a presidential candidate tells is not serving the public interest.

As early as 1927 our government began requiring licenses for use of the public airways, in the Radio Act of 1927, which was expanded in the Communications Act of 1934. Since then, the underlying standard for radio and television licensing has been the “public interest, convenience and necessity clause”, which is explained here by Sharon Zechowski:

The obligation to serve the public interest is integral to the "trusteeship" model of broadcasting –the philosophical foundation upon which broadcasters are expected to operate. The trusteeship paradigm is used to justify government regulation of broadcasting. It maintains that the electromagnetic spectrum is a limited resource belonging to the public, and only those most capable of serving the public interest are entrusted with a broadcast license. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is the government body responsible for determining whether or not applicants for broadcast license meet the requirements to obtain them and for further regulation of those to whom licenses have been granted.

I know that our corporate news media will help McCain and hurt Obama. That's why we have to call them out on it.