Radio Treason? Right Wing Talkers Skirted Disclosure Law

[Donnachaidh]

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Radio-Treason-Right-Wing-by-Gustav-Wynn-081130-768.html

by Gustav Wynn

www.opednews.com

Revelations by a former right wing radio news director confirm broadcasters aired talking points supplied secretly by the White House, reminiscent of "covert propaganda" violations uncovered in the Armstrong Williams scandal of 2005. Meanwhile, Sean Hannity and his ilk have been "messaging" followers to believe Congressional boogeymen are targeting their free speech by conspiring to revive the Fairness Doctrine. If you agree the two most-listened-to radio programs in the U.S. are not making reasonable attempts to provide crucial facts and evenhanded political coverage, find out how you can do something about it using Twitter at the end of this article.

Preemptive Propaganda "Air" Raids
Airing this week on talk radio shows have been a slew of "538" ad buys, confusing listeners into thinking a revived Fairness Doctrine would muzzle partisan talk. Hannity in particular began referring to the law as the "Censorship Doctrine" but quickly laid bare in an L.A. Times piece, we saw the effort was an intentional "cry wolf", meant to begin a messaging campaign - that is, conditioning listeners to have kneejerk reactions at any mention of the Fairness Doctrine. Hannity and Rush Limbaugh, who calls it the "hush Rush" bill should perhaps be gearing up to answer different questions about disclosure requirements on public airwaves.

The most serious criticisms of right wing radio aren't about free speech or equal time for opposing viewpoints, rather the deliberately deceptive nature of show content. Unlike truth-in-advertising regulations for commercials, anything goes in show segments. But if you can't legally broadcast an advertisement that says a hearing aid filters out the noise you don't want to hear, why should Hannity be allowed to selectively present only the news items, guests and call-ins that reinforce his bias? If the limits of free speech fall short of yelling fire in a crowded theater, what might be the negative side-effects of someone urging "hate liberals!" in an orderly society every day? Might this not push some to commit violent acts like the unwell man who shot up a "liberal" church in Knoxville?

A reported 90 million, or roughly one third of adult Americans possess fifth grade literacy skills or lower, so perhaps it's no news that political debates, ads and discussion have become dumbed-down and low-rent. And it's only expanding - the GOP, RNC and associated "538" organizations save millions on messaging during election season by keeping talk radio and news 'commentary" going year round.


MUCH more at the link above --

[knitter4democracy]

1. Well, we've often suspected this.

Scary about the literacy skills, though.

[DissedByBush]

13. So?

It is opinion/commentary radio, not news. Everybody knows it's biased. Hannity even admitted it. Anybody who thinks it is unbiased or news is an idiot. Not that they don't exist. I remember a survey a while back that showed people who use Rush for their news were seriously misinformed.

Now bias with self-described journalists pretending to provide just the straight unadulterated news is a problem.

[knitter4democracy]

31. With those literacy numbers, though, I'm not so sure people know.

I mean, look at how many think Fox News and everything on it really is fair and balanced. When you have people reading at a fifth grade reading level, it means they have trouble distinguishing propaganda from news and truth from fiction. Having taught high school English, I can say that there are too many who really don't get it and think that Rush is telling the gospel truth because he says he does.

[pokercat999]

33. The one I love is when Glen Beck tells his audience "Don't

trust me, don't trust ANYBODY" "Don't just assume I'll telling you the truth, check it out for yourself" Of course it's just a tactic. He knows his listeners are basically lazy Americans and the "check it out for yourself" is his way of reinforcing the validity of his words. All the while he is totally distorting small facts into outrageous falsehoods. He has a wonderful way of starting his dialog making you think he is going to be very fair and place blame for whatever conceived ill has taken place squarely at the feet of the Bush admin and then at the last moment he turns it into a Democratic/liberal idea/action causing all the worlds problems. It's amazing how he does it over and over and his audience eats it up.

I can easily believe the 5th grade education level of the majority of his audience. I drive a lot but can only listen to AM radio for short periods of time before I HAVE to turn it off.

[randr]

2. Strengthen libel laws

Just as the truth in advertising laws prevent deceptive promotions, so should the propaganda spewed by the Un-American fright wing idiots. If a statement about an issue or individual is knowingly false there should be consequences.
I believe most reputable newspapers have on ombudsman on staff to review and correct misstatements by journalists. Same rules should apply with penalties as broadcast media are using public property to advance their agendas.

[creeksneakers2]

3. That's the way to go

Righties have their opinions and needs for constant reenforcement to wall out reality. I'm fine with them listening to what they want and with radio providing what that segment of the public enjoys.

But,I don't think its right that they can use the public airwaves to lie constantly. I'm not talking about differences of opinion or jagged insults. I'm talking about flat out factual falsehoods. Its impossible to know if right wing radio would have the audience it does if the members weren't conned into believing absolutely fraudulent claims. Like any other industry, radio should not be allowed to defraud its customers. The public is also harmed when its airwaves are used to spread disinformation, which has a way of worming it way past the radio audience and into the general population.

Strengthening libel laws would be a great way to start. I also think there there ought to be regulations that empower the FCC to sanction radio stations that consistently broadcast factually false information. Perhaps those stations could be forced to provide some time for rebuttal. The time need not be equal to all the other programming, but just enough to make the stations more hesitant to broadcast right wing lies.

[Jade Fox]

4. Yes!!

I could not agree more with what you have said so well.

I'm sick to death of these Right Wing freaks telling lies to stir up their dangerous listeners, and getting away with it.

[w4rma]

7. Agreed. Better libel laws are needed.

We also need the Fairness Doctrine re-instated.

[AZ Criminal JD]

14. First amendment does not allow it.

[drm604]

5. K&R

:kick:

[benld74]

6. Every one of them sounds the same talking points for years,,,

and as far as the dumbing down of debates and discussions YES that has happened most definitely. Think about the GOP pushing for educational vouchers, KNOWING FULL WELL the actual COST of those schools are so high that vouchers are meaningless! I can recall debates when I was a kid, and having them be so far above my head. BUT now, hell my seven year old was aking me questions during this years' campaign that I KNEW she got from the TV! Is she smarter than me at at the same age? Possibly, BUT you gotta admit the debate questions AND press questions are nothing but big old softballs being lobbed.

[1776Forever]

8. This is very huge news - These Right Wing Talkers have given rise to dangerous crimes in the past.

Just listen for 10 minutes to Hannity or Rush or any of the other loud mouths, and you will see why there is so much hatred in our country from the Right Wing.

[windbreeze]

11. This is not the only media they use...a ltte enclosed...

that a friend sent me, from a paper in his neck of the woods..He's going to respond, but he's going to be very careful when he does so...after you read this letter, you will understand why...I have removed the letter writer's name...reasons should be obvious...I was horrified when I read this, and yet it was published in a paper, that possibly millions read..imo...both the man and the paper who published it should be investigated...(and of course, carpe diem means...sieze the day)wb

"To The Editor:

To all true conservatives, be resolved to fight, taking no prisoners in the arena of ideas and principled thought. Do not waver, do not bend. The forces of evil that seem to be at hand must be defeated.

Conservatism is a state of mind, a belief system that places ultimate faith in a just God and in the free will, self-reliance and personal responsibility of the individual. These character traits are anathema to liberal Democrats which is, of course, all Democrats.

In a very personal appeal, to all Obama-supporting Catholics, you are a disgrace and an embarrassment and may God have mercy on your soul.

True conservatives love what America once was and not what it has become - an immoral country that murders its infants and unborn, a culture of death unsurpassed in human history, and this only begins the list of tragedies we can expect to face.

When I think of John Kennedy's quote, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country," I am convinced the overwhelming throngs of Obama and liberal supporters will understand and expect only the first part.

Be unrelenting in defending good vs. evil because evil will be rampant in every corner of society. Be not complacent; accept no compromise of your core principles. Seek only the triumph and achievement of Ronald Reagan and the true conservative movement.

More than at any other time, carpe diem.

XXX XXXXXXX
St. Louis County

[1776Forever]

16. What is so frightening about this is that you could take the word Conservative and put Nazi or

any other crazed theocracy in the sentence and it would seem "normal" for the "cause". These people are used as tools by the Right Wing Extremists and aren't even aware of the mind control that is used on them. This was extremely evident during the Palin rallies when the fervor came to a fever pitch and slanderous threats were bantered about. Let's hope that this kind of dangerous talk is questioned in the future before it does become a mantra of some deranged person.

[BrklynLiberal]

9. k&r

[bleever]

10. K&R.

[progressoid]

12. If the media is so liberal, wouldn't the fairness doctine help them?

[LiberalLovinLug]

32. Exactly

I posted about this once before. Why not go to war on this, not by meekly whining about "it's not fair waaaa" That approach will only get derision returned by the asshats on the right and since they control the airwaves that argument is not going to stick.

Couch the whole argument without revealing your political stripes, but only by saying you want to fight the unbalanced 'liberal' slant on the airwaves by supporting a kind of fairness doctrine. Demand that conservatives get equal time to tell their side because 'everyone' knows that the godless liberals have been dominating all that air time for decades.

I would love to hear how Hannity and Rush would react to a caller or an editorial that espouses this false but, effective argument back at them.

[JHB]

35. "would love to hear how Hannity and Rush would react "...

The same way the do now: by ignoring them and putting on some jackass they can use as a punching bag to reinforce their own propaganda.

[JHB]

34. Arguably, it's the FD that gave birth to "conservative talk radio"...

...back in the '70s, because talk stations that otherwise had lineups trying to be radio Dick Cavetts and David Frosts also had on conservative ranting cranks line Bob Grant for balance. These guys paved the way for Limbaugh, Hannity, and the current crop of foamers.

[Somawas]

15. Shouting fire in a crowded theater is not beyond First Amendment protection.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandenburg_v._Ohio

"the constitutional guarantees of free speech and free press do not permit a State to forbid or proscribe advocacy of the use of force or of law violation except where such advocacy is directed to inciting or producing imminent lawless action and is likely to incite or produce such action."

[krkaufman]

17. It's not all that theoretical.

Right Wing hate radio, including John McCain's good friend Gordon Liddy, helped contribute to Timothy McVeigh's delusions justifying his Oklahoma City bombing.

[defendandprotect]

18. Wait a minute...didn't we also have a ruling that awhile back ...

Fox? ....that they could lie--??

[The Wizard]

22. On Fox News

balanced means half lies half truths, you figure it out.
The problem is that half truths are lies. Therefore Pox and right wing hate radio never report the truth, but operate as propaganda organs for a certain political party know as Republican. The Fairness Doctrine would seriously damage their efforts at appealing to the worst fears and lowest instincts. In their code language liberal means Jew, and we all know who was frightened of Jews in the 1930s and exterminated them by the million.
Consequently, they make contributions in kind toward Republican political ends. The Republicans in turn pass or block legislation regarding the corporations that own the propaganda outlets.
Fox News is passing off propaganda as news and may be committing consumer fraud.
It would make an interesting lawsuit. The discovery process will have the propagandists ripping the flesh off one another's faces. I can see Drudge and Rove stabbing each other in the head with ice picks. Now there's something for Pay-Per-View.

[TaranAlvein]

29. Just a question...

Did you mean that Fox speaks half lies and half truths, or that they speak half lies and half-truths? I'm leaning toward the latter, personally. ;D

[Capn Sunshine]

25. Supreme Court ruling

Fox maintained they were under no obligation to tell the truth.
Judges agreed ; the opinion said News Organizations are implicitly perceived as truthful but no legal obligation, code or law exists to compel them to be truthful.

[OxQQme]

19. Placing a restraining hand

on these 'FIRE' shouters (I agree that they are in this case) and revoking their licenses would be very Hugo Chavez, would it not?
Outing them to the general populace using the very same media seems a better method.
The head person at the FCC needs to be changed.

[bertman]

20. Requiring media hosts to "balance" their guest list sounds like the slippery slope to me.

I'd prefer that Rachel Maddow be allowed to interview whomever she pleases.

This is about more than biased commentary on TV or radio. It's about media control of the airwaves by a few individuals. We can thank Bill Clinton for helping to accomplish that.

The problem is people who feel a need to listen to that insane Limbaugh or Hannity crap as if it were factual. This is a Cultural Ignorance problem. How many people do you know who can tell you who the Speaker of the House, Senate Majority Leader, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury are? I'll bet over 50% of Americans couldn't tell you who half of them are. And it's not from lack of availability of the information, it's from a form of intellectual laziness that permeates our culture.

These same people could probably tell you the lineup on their favorite college basketball team or the latest contestants on Dancing with the Stars, but they could give a happy damn about anything that doesn't entertain or amuse them.

Citizenship in a democracy requires work and thought and dedication.

This cultural ignorance is not a feature of the right wing only. While I was campaigning for Obama I was amazed at the number of registered Democratic voters who only knew that they wanted Obama to win, but had no idea what he had done as a Senator or what his policy stances were.

Is this a failing of our educational system, parenting, media? I don't know. But it's scary as hell.

[AlbertCat]

27. I'll bet over 50% of Americans couldn't tell you who half of them are.

I'll bet more than that. And the same %-age don't know who the 1st president was.

But the starting line up of some football team or other....now lots of people know that.

I can't tell you how many young to youngish people I know who don't have a lamp to read a book by, much less a book, in their houses. Anti-intellectualism is da bomb! The Bush Administration is the pinnacle of this movement!

And I'm no snob. I love Austin Powers and Led Zeppelin, but I also like Shakespeare and Bach. There's plenty of time for all. I'm no intellectual either. I have just a BFA. But with the internet and stuff I just arbitrarily run across amazing things like Hubble Telescope pics and planetary line ups with the moon... like the one tonight. Is knowing about these things something to be looked down on? I don't know how you get someone who doesn't care about the world around them to care, however. But making such notions "cool" seems a better mantra than "Greed is good" or "Kill everyone who isn't like you".

[KoKo]

28. We had the Fairness Doctrine for Decades....things were much better then.

[HopeFor2006]

21. K & R

:kick:

[Winnipegosis]

23. We have very little "Talk Radio" in Canada.

That's why I'm so amused by some of the radio talkers that I hear on some US border stations.

Mostly it seems like entertainment: political entertainment for dummies.

[TWiley]

24. REPUBLICAN BASTARDS !

How is that for a knee-jerk? I cannot help it, I have been paying attention too long. Another conduit for their odius filth is the pulpit BTW. Nearly every RNC talking point lie has deep support in religion. It would be nice if new legislation could extend into the faithful as well.

[ksimons]

26. educate the country, knock a republican off the ticket

the more educated folks are, the more likely they are to vote Democratic

if that isn't a good enough reason to fix our education system FINALLY I don't know what is!

[Optimistic]

30. They do not help anymore

The Right Wing Wackos do not help the Right Wing wacko's running for office.
Anyone who listens to the Limbaughs and savages of the World will vote Wacko no matter what.
In 10 years they will all be down to about 1000 listeners as only 1bout 5% of the country will buy their BS wine.