Which candidate backs the return of The Fairness Doctrine?

[maggrwaggr]

and if none of them do, WHY NOT?

The media, like any oligarchical industry, needs regulation. It's one of the cornerstones of our republic, without it the roof caves in (as it has now).

Why aren't the Dems on this issue? Why not bring back the Fairness Doctrine?

It was obviously a bad idea to lose it.

[Az]

1. Any candidate that dared

Would disappear from sight. The media would see to it.

[grasswire]

2. the reality is....

.....that until there is a Congress not dominated by Republicans, the revival of the Fairness Doctrine is a lost cause. They've demonstrated their opposition to it more than once.

It is a good tactic, though, to ask WHY they're not in favor of codification of the Fairness Doctrine. Especially when they're whining about "liberal media."

If the media is liberal, why don't conservatives want to demand equal time?

[maggrwaggr]

3. good point. So why isn't a Dem candidate for it?

I don't get it.

[zbdent]

4. Was it 1996 or 2000, when Rush Limbaugh was leading the

rant for free TV time for candidates for President? Something about the propensity of either Clinton (96) or Gore (00) being able to burp and get free air coverage, while the opposition candidate had to pay.

Strange, how only silence comes now from those who wanted free TV time for the opposition Presidential candidates.

[CWebster]

5. Pitt interview with Dean

PITT: For a great many people across the political spectrum, the number one issue of concern is the vast and growing power of corporations within government, and even more so within the media. It can be argued that one of the main reasons why the Bush administration continues to enjoy the approval ratings it does is because the news media has been demonstrably derelict in its duties. Where do you stand on the power of corporations in America, particularly within the media? Do you have any thoughts or ideas on how that might be dealt with?

DEAN: I do. I think, first of all, it is true that the media has a conservative bias, and is being well-funded by conservative people like Rupert Murdoch. There is no question about that. But I also believe that part of the fault belongs to the Democrats, because the Democrats don’t stand up and therefore there is no other side to cover. We’ve got to do that. Now, some of them are doing it during election time, but it’s a little late. Here’s what we need to do. In politics, sometimes one single event can crystallize what the problem is. For me, when the Cumulus Corporation, which owns a lot of radio stations, kicked the Dixie Chicks off their networks – a couple hundred radio stations – I realized that media corporations have too much power. What they were doing was using a public resource, i.e. the airwaves, and removing the ability to view and represent both sides of an issue.

When you have that kind of power, you have too much power. I believe we need to re-regulate the media, go back to limiting the number of stations that can be controlled in one particular area, so we can be sure that the American people get moderate, conservative and liberal points of view.

PITT: You’re talking about reinstating the Fairness Doctrine.

DEAN: Yes, reinstating controls over how many outlets you can own in any particular media market. The media has clearly abused their privilege, and it is hurting our democracy. Deregulation in many areas has simply proved to be bad for America, bad for the American economy, bad for the average working person, and bad for democracy. We need to take a different view. Some deregulation is a good thing. We went too far, and now we need to cut back.

PITT: Given the fact that the Republicans control Congress, if you were to win the election in November, how will you go about getting these kinds of policies through a Republican-controlled Congress?

DEAN: I won’t have to. I’ll simply appoint different kinds of people to the FCC, and they’ll be more pro-consumer and pro-average American than they will be pro-corporation.

[maggrwaggr]

7. Damn! Dean always says EXACTLY what I want him to!

It's downright weird. Is he channeling me????

[w4rma]

6. Gov. Howard Dean on the fairness doctrine (CWebster, above, beat me to it)

Link: http://truthout.org/docs_03/052203A.shtml

[mandyky]

8. I thought I heard Dean talk on this topic

around the time of the FCC ruling in June.

[DemBones DemBones]

9. Dennis Kucinich supports the return of the Fairness Doctrine AND

wants to stop the corporate takeover of American media.

Here's a story from May 2003:

Kucinich to FCC: Stop the Corporate Takeover of our Mass Media

A longtime foe of media monopolization, Dennis Kucinich blasted the federally-assisted corporate takeover of U.S. media in formal comments filed with the Federal Communications Commission. Kucinich's protest comes as the FCC seems prepared to announce new, even more deregulatory rules on media ownership.

"Walking further down the path of deregulation skews the national discourse and is directly contrary to the welfare of the public. It is adamantly not in the public interest to grant a few corporations the privilege to broadcast their views and augment their voice to the American people at the expense of the many."

Kucinich focused attention on Clear Channel, a company with ties to the Bush Administration that now owns 1200 stations nationwide: "Clear Channel's national and dominant presence, a direct result of deregulation, threatens an imbalance in the public discourse -- an imbalance caused by the government granting one corporation the power to dominate the public airwaves, and the privilege to amplify its voice on public property. It is well documented that Clear Channel has removed on-air personalities from stations that it has bought, and replaced those local announcers with more centralized voices."

http://www.kucinich.us/statements.htm#052203

[mandyky]

10. If you don''t know where your candidate stands

on this - you need to ask. This is almost as important as the winner getting a Dem majority in the House and/or Senate.